September 2009 Archives

I just got off the phone with Ira Miller. We talked about last Sunday's games and looked ahead to the coming Sunday. We usually talk on Thursday but I'm busy tomorrow. Next week we will speak on Tuesday because Ira is flying to the Bay Area for a week to see old friends, yours truly included.

Cohn: Let's start with the Raiders. How do you feel about the Raiders trying to ban Rich Gannon from their headquarters?

Miller: It just shows how misplaced their priorities are. It's that simple. First of all to demean the guy who put them in their only Super Bowl in what, 25 years? That was Rich Gannon and Jon Gruden, that's why they were in the Super Bowl. Why they would demean them is beyond me and it's so stupid. What do they expect people to say about a team that has the worst 6-year record I think in history? Do they expect a guy to go on tv and say, "Wow, what uniforms!" Or, "They have great hot dogs!" God, get your priorities straight. I keep going back to this, it's the John Madden thing. He said when he was coaching he had very few rules, only rules that helped him win games. How the hell does banning Gannon help them win games?

Cohn: Are things like this related to how they play?

Miller: I guess. People in the organization have only so many hours in a day and if they spend time on this then they're not spending it on football. When Mariucci coached the 49ers he spent too much time schmoozing with the writers. Maybe he was auditioning for his tv job. Just do your business and get on with things.

Cohn: Is JaMarcus Russell a bust?

Miller: It's beginning to look more and more like he is. He's got his own coach saying he regressed - Ted Tollner. Don't take my word for it. Take the word of the guy who's coaching him. Too many people around him say he doesn't work at the job. That brings me back to Rich Gannon. No one worked harder than he did.

Cohn: Do you expect the Raiders to bench Russell this season?

Miller: I can't read Al's mind. It's not like he's got Joe Montana on the bench.

Cohn: Is Tom Cable a bust?

Miller: I don't want to go overboard off a couple of weeks. Obviously he's done a good job with the offensive line. He's not a head coach; he shouldn't be. He's not head coach material. It's one of those things you just know when you see it -- how he presents himself. You see a guy's vision.

Cohn: Is Al Davis a bust?

Miller: Well, he's past his time. Al only had success when he had someone around him who could say no, who could offer an alternative -- Ron Wolf, Ken Herock, Jon Gruden, Madden. Who's Al listening to now, Mike Taylor (public relations rep)? There's no there there in that organization.

Cohn: Is this team doomed this season?

Miller: Yeah, probably. They've lost 2 division games at home. Look at their schedule. I would be shocked if they're better than 2-6 at the break.

Cohn: What would it take for them to succeed?

Miller: Al has got to get out of way. I said that for years. He needs to hire football people; he needs to hire someone to run it. Wasn't it a year ago he said he would bring someone in? Who's he brought in? All you've got to do is look at the 49ers. They're a mirror image - with a different tone - they don't have enough football people either.

Cohn: Gannon said, metaphorically, they should blow up the Raiders and start over. Do you agree?

Miller: Yeah. They need a new organization; they need football people.

Cohn: How will they do against Houston?

Miller: That's their best chance for a win in the next 5 weeks. Will they win? I don't know. Houston seems to be able to move the ball and score points, something that seems to escape the Raiders. The Raiders are no fun. You don't want to be around them. They're like a book you've read 1000 times. You know how it's going to come out.

Cohn: I'm going to move to the Niners. What's your opinion of how they ended Sunday's game with all those running plays?

Miller: In their last two possessions they had 3 and outs. They threw one pass on third and 17. It was the dumbest time to throw a pass -- 8 yards, a short safe pass. The last possession to me was embarrassing. They ran three times in a row and took exactly 20 seconds off the clock.

Cohn: Why do you think they did that?

Miller: Because their impression of their quarterback has not caught up with reality. The guy is playing better than they thought he would, but they haven't become aware of that and still don't trust him.

Cohn: What does this mean about Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye?

Miller: It means they're not paying attention and they're not very flexible.

Cohn: Does it mean they're not creative?

Miller: We know they're not creative. It has nothing do with creativity. But they're not very smart. No matter what we think of Brett Favre at this advanced age, he's still a guy going to Canton if he ever retires. You don't want to give him the ball with a chance to win the game. I go back to teams going overboard at the end of games trying to keep the ball away from Montana. They did idiotic things. Here we're not talking idiotic, just foolish. You've  got to trust your players. The guy had led a nice drive to put them ahead in the fourth quarter and he did it throwing the ball. They make one first down and the game is over.

Cohn: Are the 49ers a good team?

Miller; You have to acknowledge they certainly are in the middle of the pack of the league, in that great middle. Probably right now they are the best team in their division. This is not a prediction they will win the division.

Cohn: What do they do well?

Miller: They play pretty good defense. Their quarterback is playing better than we thought he would. It will be interesting how they operate without Frank Gore. They didn't run very well against Minnesota. They're fortunate they have a week to figure things out for the Rams.

Cohn: Will they beat the Rams?

Miller: Yeah, the Rams are one of the worst teams in the league.

Cohn: I believe they will be 3-1 at the quarter mark. What does that record indicate to you?

Miller: It means they will have beaten every team in the division.

Cohn: Here's a bonus question. Is Eric Mangini out of line with those fines he's slapping on his players?

Miller: Yeah, he fined a guy about his hotel bill, fined a guy $1701 for not paying for a $3 bottle of water on his hotel bill. What is the big problem with taking the money out of a guy's paycheck and moving on? It's almost to me like, "I can do this so I'm going to do it," as opposed to doing something that really matters.

Cohn: I was not aware of mindless things like that at the 49ers.

Miller: Not in the old days (under Bill Walsh). They focused on football. It's the thing Bill said -- whatever he wanted for the team he got. Eddie had one requirement, win. Mangini is childish - I won't name my starting quarterback. Who the hell made him Vince Lombardi? What I see in Mangini is what Al Davis saw in him except Al liked it. He tried to hire him. He would have been a good fit with Al. He's mindless. He's a dictator.

Note: To read my Thursday column on Jeff Tedford click here.

From time to time I will post items of my sports columnist's manifesto. With the advent of the internet I believe the art of writing a sports column is dying along with newspapers. For starters, here are a few key points.

If you cover a losing team and the team seems pleased with you -- seems comfortable with you -- you are failing at your job.

A true columnist stirs things up when they deserve to be stirred up.

A sports columnist refuses to be intimidated by a team or a player.

A sports columnist is delighted to praise excellence.

A sports columnist is in love with the physical beauty and the courage and the drama and the tragedy of sports.

A sports columnist writes the truth and knows the facts.

A sports columnist believes what he/she observes is the truth not what a team says is the truth.

A sports columnist does not go to the home of an athlete or coach except to do research for an article.

A sports columnist is not interested in making famous friends.

A sports columnist knows fame is an illusion.

A sports columnist stands his/her ground when the entire locker room seems to be coming down on him/her.

A sports columnist NEVER takes a press release from a team at face value especially if it is about a trade or the firing of a coach. There is almost always something else to the story.

A sports columnist always asks a player, coach, owner etc. to explain a bland or cliche remark.

A sports columnist never allows a player, coach or team executive to call him/her "you guys." Each sports columnist is a unique observer and is not you guys.

A sports columnist never trusts a player who says, "I take full responsibility for..." This phrase is almost always a cover-up and a way not to take responsibility.

A sports columnist never tries to be friends with the famous people he/she covers. A sports columnist must have friends of his/her own outside of sports.

A sports columnist is never a fan of the team he/she covers.

If a sports columnist does not stir up readers at least some of the time he/she is useless.

If a sports columnist does not make readers question commonly-held belliefs from time to time, he/she is useless.

If a sports columnist becomes intimate friends with athletes, coaches, etc. he/she is useless.

I spoke to someone who knows a thing or two about the Raiders. He told me it made him sick what the Raiders said about Rich Gannon, a guy who was the league MVP and took the team to the Super Bowl -- regardless of how he played in that game. It made this guy sick because Gannon deserves respect, not character assassination.

Gannon gave the team a sense of professionalism which it no longer has. The nasty and mean comments from the Raiders about Gannon included a claim that the Raiders players didn't like Gannon. Well, Al Davis liked him. Al liked his feistiness, the fact that he cared, that he held teammates accountable, even that he could be overbearing and overly demanding. He was a winner.

Heck, Al is exactly the same way. Gannon and Al talked about football all the time and Gannon told Al what was what on the team and what needed improving. Al listened. I've been told Al considered grooming him for general manager.

It is sickening that the Raiders would turn on Gannon for telling the truth and try to ban him from their headquarters. It tells you all you need to know -- the Raiders always focus on the wrong thing, waste energy on the wrong thing, on petty demeaning things. Let's see them make a winning ballclub. Focus on that.

Stephen Jackson, who doesn't want to be a Warrior, met the media at noon on Monday during Warriors Media Day. Here is a transcript of his most pertinent remarks.

Opening statement to media by Stephen Jackson: "Hello, vultures."

Q: Are you happy to be a Warrior?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you want to talk about when you said you didn't want to be a Warrior?

A: Don't ask me questions I already answered. I feel the same way I felt last time (when he said he wanted to get traded). Don't ask me the question if you don't want me to get fined.

Q: It was ridiculous that you got fined (25 grand).

A: You and me both. Kobe said the same thing two years ago and he didn't get fined but we're not going to beat a dead horse. I've got to deal with it. I can't beat the NBA so I've got to roll with it.

Q: Are you still standing by that statement (about wanting a trade)?

A: What I said is how I feel. That's not going to change.

Q: What's the difference now than a year ago?

A: Ever since I've been here I know I've had a big part in getting this organization back to a winning attitude if not the biggest part. And every year I've lost somebody I felt helped me get to that. Baron, Al and I feel like I'm next. We're not getting better. It's no disrespect to the guys on the team. I love all the guys on the team and I'm not saying the job couldn't get done with them. But at the same time I came in this game a winner and I want to continue to be a winner. It's a lot of guys who play basketball for the money, for the fame. I always want to win and I respect the game. Even though I made the statements I made, I'm going to come here and play like I didn't make them. That's just me. I'm going to respect the game. I'm not going to lie down for no one. I'm going to respect my coaches and respect my teammates and play basketball the way I love to play the game. And I want to win. I came into this game a winner and I want to continue to win. I'm never going to settle for losing. And I'll always be upset and pissed off until I start winning. Everything we done that year (2006-2007) we've been taking steps back ever since we beat Dallas. I don't think we've been making progress. Everybody's entitled to their own opinion and that's my opinion. I'm not always right. I'm just speaking my mind how much I have a passion for this game and want to win. If anyone is playing this game for the right reasons they understand winning is the most important thing.

Q: How can you maintain your captain role when you feel this way and you feel this way about your teammates?

A: This has nothing to do with my teammates. I've been a captain to the best of my ability the last two years and being a captain is to lead by example and try to win games. I'm going to do that regardless of how I feel about being here. I'm not disrespecting my teammates. I'm not saying they can't play. I respect them all and I have confidence in all of them but at the same time the proof is what we've done the last two years. We haven't made the playoffs and that's not winning to me.

Q: Did you think about leaving when Don Nelson brought it up to you last season?

A: I was surprised about it then because I was busting my ass, doing everything I was asked to do.

Q: Do you regret how you announced it (to a publication)?

A: You've got to hear it some way. You want me to send an email, Facebook or something? I'm a grown man. I have six kids. I'm married now so I speak my mind. I thought I had the freedom of speech but obviously I don't.

Q: Your contract extension and the money involved may be a stumbling point (to a trade). Is that negotiable?

A: You want me to give my money back? You answer that question.

Q: You negotiated for an extension.

A: That's the business. That's the business. Shaq got traded. Michael Jordan went to another team. Things can happen. At the same time I'm not in control of that.

Q: You signed your extension after Baron had left. Did you feel at that time you were committing yourself to a team a team that was on the wrong path?

A: Who's going to turn down that money? I'm not stupid. I didn't go to college but I've got a lot of common sense. I'm not going to turn down no money. I'm 31 years old. I've got to look out for myself before anyone else does. I think it was the right decision for me and my family. After today all the trade talk is out of my mouth. I'm going to try to play basketball and help these young guys just as much as I helped them this year. I can't come to practice every day and wonder if this is the day I'm going to get traded.

Q: How will the team improve the defense?

A: I can't guard everybody. Our defense definitely has to pick up a lot before we even attempt to have a great year. I credit myself as being one of the guys that plays on both ends. There aren't many of us.

Q: Were you disappointed that the Warriors didn't get Amare Stoudamire?

A: Everybody knows that. Having an All Star, a guy we can count on to get points in the paint that would have been big for us. That's no disrespect to anyone on the team but let's look at what he has done. We didn't make a move. So be it. I would have been happy with it but who's trying to keep me happy?

Q: You talked about (getting traded) to contending teams but then you put the Knicks in there. Are they a contending team?

A: If I can't play on a contender I want to play with my brother Al (Harrington). We have a company together, we do a lot of things together. I wouldn't mind playing with a friend of mine that's like my brother. Our relationship is beyond basketball.

Q: Do you have regrets about making your feelings public?

A: I don't have a regret about anything I've done. I don't have a regret about going into the stands with Ron Artest. I don't have a regret about anything because that was the way it was supposed to be handled. It had to come out some way. I paid my penalty for it, 25,000 which I thought was too much.

Q: Could this undermine your leadership role?

A: Anyone who knows me knows I say what I want to say regardless of the consequences. That's just always been me. I'm 31 years old. I pay my own bills. I'm going to speak my mind.

Q: What ingredients do the Warriors need to be a real contender?

A: The team we have is what we're going to roll with. I don't think a deal is going to be made, obviously Amare and other guys said they didn't want to come here. There's nothing I can say that's going to get that done.

Q: What do you think of Stephen Curry?

A: I haven't seen him. Today's my first day meeting him. He was a great college player. I know the kid could shoot. For the organization to pick him I guess they thought he could help this team.

Q: Do you have any reason for optimism?

A: Yeah, I do. I hope things get better because I want to win. I don't want to continue being through playing basketball in April. I want to be in the playoffs. I'm made for the playoffs and the championship stuff. That's what I play for. I'm big-shot Jack. That's what I do. I don't want to be at home watching the playoffs saying I should be there.

Q: Is this team made for the playoffs?

A: I hope so. I'm not going to count my eggs before they hatch. I hope so. Name a young team in the last four or five years that had a breakout season and made it to the second round. I'm dealing with reality here. I'm not going to make promises and say we're going to be a great young team.

Q: Has your relationship changed with (team president) Robert Rowell?

A: I think it has. When I got fined the NBA didn't have a way to get in contact with me. So they had to go to Warriors to get in contact with me to fine me. You ought to know that.

I just got back from a doubleheader -- Warriors Media Day then over to Alameda for Tom Cable's presser.

As Zohn readers know Raiders pr guy Mike Taylor banned me from attending Raiders functions, but no one from the team impeded me today. I hope that means they've come to their senses. I sat in the press room with everyone else and even asked Cable a question. John Herrera was the pr rep and led Cable in and out of the room and acted professionally. Taylor was not there.

I'm going to transcribe my tape from Stephen Jackson's interview at the Warriors. And yes he most definitely still wants off the team. I'll post that as soon as I can and then write a Warriors column.

This is the story of how Raiders' new defensive end Richard Seymour pulled a guy's hair during today's game. To be specific, he pulled the hair of Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Clady, whose hair descended below the bottom of his helmet. Seymour got his team penalized 14 yards for the hair pull and two plays later Denver scored a TD to go ahead 20-3.

After the game I went over to Seymour in the locker room. Here is our dialogue.

Cohn: May I ask you a question? You were penalized for pulling a guy's hair. I've never in my life been aware of anything like that. Can I trouble you to tell me what happened?

Seymour: Did you see the game?

Cohn: I was there. Was it a mistake?

Seymour? It was no mistake.

Cohn: You were pissed?

Seymour: It wasn't no mistake, brother. Next question.

Cohn: Is there something wrong with the question? Why did you do it?

Seymour: You asked if it was a mistake and I told you no. Get out of here.

Cohn: Why do I get out of here? You don't like to talk about that.

Seymour: Get out of here.

Cohn: I'm not getting out of here.

At this point Raiders public relations guy Mike Taylor, who had heard none of the dialogue between Seymour and me, came over and said, "Lowell, would you remove yourself? If you stay here he's not talking."

It was clear to me Seymour would talk to the group of reporters who had gathered to interview to him. I stood quietly so they could ask their questions. It seemed to me Taylor would not let them ask because I was there. Taylor said Seymour later told him he would not talk if I was there - Seymour may have said that. But I honestly believed he would speak until Taylor made a big deal and transformed a disagreement between two men into a major event.

You may ask why I did not leave when Seymour said, "Get out of here." I do not like to be spoken to like that. I don't believe athletes have license to be rude. Taylor said I incited Seymour. I believe Seymour incited himself. I believe he was answerable for what he did on the field. Taylor said I am not welcome around the Raiders. We'll see about that.

Taylor later told me, "You did something wrong. I don't know what you did; you did something wrong. It wasn't cool. And that's where it is."

Taylor was in no position to know what I did as he was a latecomer to my conversation with Seymour. You've read the dialogue. Judge for yourselves.

By the way, I did leave. But Taylor still did not allow Seymour to talk to the other journalists. I apologize to my colleagues if I interrupted their work.

Later Taylor accosted me in the press box and berated me for about 10 minutes while I was attempting to write. He kept saying I had incited his player. He called me an unflattering name. I offered to tell him my side of the story but he didn't listen, kept talking about my incitement. At a certain point I felt he was harassing me so I put in my ear pieces and began listening to my taped interviews while he kept telling other journalists, who were trying to work, that I had incited Seymour.

I can tell you I never have experiences like these with teams other than the Raiders. To read my column on JaMarcus Russell click here.

This is too wonderful. The Raiders tried to ban Rich Gannon from their facility on Friday. The Raiders don't like Gannon because he criticizes them. Anyone who knows football criticizes them but the criticisms from Gannon hurt the most. So they said he couldn't come to Alameda for pre-production meetings with the tv crew for Sunday's broadcast. He's the analyst for tv -- by the way you won't hear him because the game is blacked out locally.

Anyway, the league told the Raiders to soak their heads. League rules say they have to allow announcers into preproduction meetings and Gannon was admitted to the Alameda facility.

You've got to read some of these classic quotes. Al Davis' operative John Herrera uttered them. Certainly the sentiments come from Al who is a tough guy who can't take a lick of criticism, who never feels embarrassed by his own actions -- actions that would embarrass 99 percent of the population.

Quotes on Gannon:

"It's kind of like the dog you have at home. You nurture him, feed him, take care of him and all he wants to do is bite you."

I guess that means Gannon is a dog.

More quotes:

"He's attacked us on a regular basis since becoming a member of the media. After affording him the opportunity to establish a career here, he has since gone on to attack us in a way that's totally unacceptable."

Gannon has said the Raiders should blow up their building and start over. This is a symbolic statement but the Raiders take it literally. "We think in a post 9/11 world that's not a very proper thing to say. He seems to be a guy who can't get over the fact that he played the worst Super Bowl game in the history of the game and he wants to blame everybody but himself. I guess it's our fault he threw five interceptions."

"He was one of the least popular players with his teammates that we ever had here."

Gee, you don't want to tick off Al Davis. If you do he goes after you professionally and personally.

I understand where Al is coming from. He divides his world into friends and enemies (I'm an enemy, I guess.). If you criticize him he thinks you're attacking him -- criticize and attack are synonyms in the Al dictionary. So Gannon criticized him and he's an enemy and an ingrate because Al gave him a chance. Forget that Gannon delivered when given the chance.

Anyway, I do understand where Al is coming from but he's wrong. He should have allowed Gannon into the facility without complaint and he should have kept his guy Herrera from saying things that reflect poorly on the Raiders organization.

Don Nelson and Larry Riley are at odds. They may not know they're at odds, but they are.

On Tuesday I interviewed Riley and among other things we spoke about Stephen Jackson and his trade request. Here is a part of our disussion:

Cohn: Would you expect Stephen Jackson to be on the team this season?

Riley: I do. I do.

Cohn: Do you feel he's reconciled to being here this year?

Riley: At this stage that's my feeling.

OK, you don't have to be a genius to understand Riley said Jackson almost certainly will be a Warrior. Cut to Nelson's meeting with reporters on Friday. I could not attend so what I'm writing is based on what I read in two newspaper reports.

Nelson: "I'm not angry at (Jackson). We'll try to accommodate him if it works out and is the right thing for the team. We'll accommodate him if we can; if it's good for him and good for us, we'll certainly look at it (a trade)."

Well, wait a minute. Riley said Jackson would be on the team and then Nelson said maybe not; the Warriors certainly will look into a trade.

What's bad about the discrepancy between what Nelson said and Riley said? At the very least it shows they are not on the same page -- or don't appear on the same page. You'd think they'd get their stories straight before meeting the press.

It's more than that. In my interview with Riley he worked hard to say he's the general manager and not Nelson's puppet. That may be true and I hope it is. But Nelson certainly upstaged Riley, said the team will consider a trade. Riley never said that. This gives the impression Nelson is the real GM or at least operates on his own agenda. It is not his place to talk about trades. That is Riley's place. If Riley really is the general manager he should tell Nelson to knock it off -- otherwise this raises doubts all over again.

Tomorrow the Cal Bears play the Oregon Ducks in Eugene.

Yeah, but in a week they play USC at home and that's the really big game.

Yeah, but tomorrow they play the Ducks in Oregon.

Yeah, but they play the Trojans in a week and that could determine their entire season.

Yeah but they play the Ducks tomorrow.

So, let's get this straight. The Bears should beat the Ducks. The Ducks already lost to Boise State and lost their cool in the process. Everyone says the Bears will beat the Ducks. Everyone says the Bears are the real thing. It's just that Cal has been known to stink on the road.

Do you remember the massacre at Maryland last year? In 2008 Cal lost 4 games. Each loss came on the road. Do we see a pattern here?

Cal needs to take care of business tomorrow, needs to protect its No. 6 ranking, in Eugene, needs to prove it deserves to be ranked so high. We've seen the Bears blow a high ranking before.

It will be highly anti-climactic if they lose to Oregon and then have to make excuses and gear up for the Trojans.

As I say, the Bears play the Ducks on Saturday. That's the only fact that matters. As far as they're concerned it's the only fact that exists.

Here is the third installment of the wisdom of Ira Miller as told to the Cohn Zohn. Ira looks forward to next weekend's games.

Cohn: What do you expect from the 49ers at Vikings?

Miller: I'm not as high on the Vikings as a lot of people are. I'm also not that high on the 49ers. I expect Minnesota to win but not in a walkover. The 49ers are better than I thought they'd be, no question. And they play well defensively. I'm curious about that because they play pretty much with the same defensive personnel and they have the same defensive coordinator. Mike Nolan was supposed to be a defensive guy. So why are they playing so much better now?

Cohn: Why are you picking the Vikings?

Miller: Better quarterback and running back and I think a better defensive line. And they're playing at home.

Cohn: Are you impressed by San Francisco's 2-0 start?

Miller: Surprised more than impressed. I don't think Arizona was ready to play the first week. And I'm a little surprised about Seattle.  I know they had a bunch of injuries but it looks like something is wrong there. The team doesn't add up to the sum of what it has. A year ago it was easy to say the Seahawks were in transition and had a lame-duck coach, but those excuses won't wash anymore. Even with injuries they should play better, should be more competitive.

Cohn: Does that make you suspicious of the Niner victories?

Miller: Not suspicious. But we're talking NFC West here. It's important to remember under Nolan and Mike Singletary this team works hard in preseason and may be more ready to play than a number of teams. Under Nolan in the first two games of his four seasons the 49ers were 5-3. In the rest of his games they were 13-34. No matter what happens this week, they've got St. Louis at home next week. They will be at least 3-1 at the quarter mark and will have beaten all the division opponents, which is not to be overlooked.

Cohn: Are the 49ers a playoff team?

Miller: They'd have to win the division. No way could they be a wild card. But they could win the division. I thought Seattle was the best team. I don't think that anymore. Who is the best?  I'm not sure. I know Arizona gets Indianapolis at home Sunday night. That's a must game for Arizona. You saw how Miami pushed Indianapolis around. Indianapolis is playing a road game in a short week. If the Cardinals don't want to revert to what they used to be, they've got to win that game. It's real simple. Any of the three, excluding St. Louis, has a chance to win the division.

Cohn: Your impressions of Frank Gore.

Miller: Gore is terrific in the same context as Adrian Peterson. They've played the Super Bowl for 43 years and in that time only three rushing champions have played in the Super Bowl. Emmitt Smith three times led the league in rushing and played in the Super Bowl. The other two were Terrell Davis and Shaun Alexander. You've got to have a quarterback who can make plays.

Cohn: Can Shaun Hill?

Miller:  I haven't seen yet that he can be a guy to take a game on his shoulders. A perfect example was the Miami-Indianapolis game. Miami held the ball more than 45 minutes and Indianapolis won because they had the quarterback who could make the plays to win the game.

Cohn: Singletary said he doesn't want to put Hill in the position of having to win a game on his own.

Miller: Of course, you don't want to put your quarterback in the position of having to win the game. They didn't want Joe Montana to have to win games. Eventually, your quarterback has got to. Your game plans don't always work perfectly. Sometimes you get the ball with two minutes to go and you need a touchdown or a field goal. That's why the quarterback gets so much money.

Cohn: What do you expect from Favre against the Niners?

Miller: A lot of handoffs. His passing stats aren't that much better than Hill's. Neither one has thrown an interception because neither one can throw the ball downfield. I think Favre can occasionally. But they don't want him to. They want to give the ball to Peterson.

Cohn: What do you expect from the Raiders vs. Denver?

Miller: The Raiders should win. Denver is 2-0 but Denver is not any good.

Cohn: Will the Raiders win because they're at home or because Denver is no good?

Miller: Denver's not very good. The Raiders aren't that good either. Kansas City pushed them all over the field. The Chiefs killed themselves with some stupidity and bad clock management. At the end of the half they should have had a field goal. They dominated the game but couldn't make the plays. To put this in perspective, Kansas City has lost 25 of the last 27 games. Let's not get too excited about beating them. But Oakland should beat Denver although Denver has the better quarterback.

Cohn: Why?

Miller: Kyle Orton is not fancy. He's another guy they don't want to win games. I thought he was a really good fit in Chicago. He won't carry the team for you but he's not going to get you beat very much. He doesn't make big mistakes. And he probably works at his craft a little better than JaMarcus Russell. The Denver coach is 15 levels out of his element - the league is too high for him but I haven't heard him punch out anyone on his staff, so it's more cohesive over there.

Cohn: Your assessment of Russell?

Miller: He's a 30-something percent passer. He's the 30^th rated passer in a league of 32 teams. Orton is 11^th. A key stat among quarterbacks is average yards per pass attempt. We  know the Raiders want big pass plays. Russell is averaging 5.9 yards per attempt, 25^th in the league. Orton, who's supposed to be just a game manager, averages 7.8 yards per attempt -- 8^th in the league. It's a very important stat. Orton is ahead of Warner, Roethlisberger and Jay Cutler.

Cohn: Is there hope for Russell?

Miller (sighs): This is his third year. From everything I've heard he doesn't work hard enough. Plus they've got to get him some receivers. Even Montana would have trouble in that Raiders' situation - it's so volatile. If you go to work in a bad atmosphere, it's just hard. I don't see the great leadership there.

Cohn: Who's a better coach, Cable or Singletary?

Miller (sighs again): Probably Singletary. I don't think either has a great staff. But Singletary is a guy who has paid attention on the way up and trained himself to be a head coach and the other guy is an accidental head coach. You didn't see teams all over the league say we want to interview Tom Cable to be our coach. He's coach of the only team he could be coach of.

Cohn: What's your take on Crabtree and tampering?

Miller: Probably something has happened. There's probably a lot more tampering in the league than we know about. I once had a coach on another team ask me about San Francisco, about a job there. San Francisco didn't tamper because he asked me. Football people always talk to each other, they're always asking. You have to be naïve to think when a general manager talks to an agent he's not picking his brain about other stuff.

Cohn: Will the 49ers sign Crabtree?

Miller: Yes, unless Crabtree is just a complete moron. He's probably already lost money he'll never make up. If he sits out the whole year he's never going to make up what he's losing. He'll lose whatever he could have invested and he'll lose a year's salary. Somebody will want him but everyone will be wary if he sits out a whole year. No one will want to put themselves in that position where they don't know what they're getting. I'm not saying he's wrong to want more money. That's fine. It's business. But you've also got to know when it's time to fold. He probably wants to play on a team with a quarterback who can throw him the ball and make him look good. The 49ers don't have one.

i've been getting emails that i posted the wrong twitter sign in for me. i'm sure i did. i'm a techno-idiot. try this. go to the search part of twitter or whatever it is and type in lowellcohn i think that works.

i call ira miller in an hour for our weekly installment on the zohn. talk to you later.

Michael Vick will become eligible to play on Sunday.

He was quoted as saying that's a "dream come true."

Who cares about his dreams?

I just got an email from Brian Murphy asking me to be on KNBR with him and Paulie Mac Thursday morning at 8:32. To which I said yes.

I always say yes to Murph. He used to be my colleague at the Santa Rosa Press Democrat -- we met in 1995. He covered the Niners and his game stories were little short-story masterpieces. James Joyce comes to mind. He also had (and has) the brighest smile and when you're with him you think -- this man is as alive as people get.

He lives 10 minutes from me and I wish we could see each other more often, but he has crazy hours and he has a little boy and my life is so busy I sometimes want to pant. So we catch up with each other when we can. The radio is a good place.

Here is a transcript of my Tuesday afternoon interview with Warriors general manager Larry Riley.

Cohn: Where is your team going? You were aggressive draft night trying to get Stoudamire. Are you still being aggressive?

Riley: We'll continue to be aggressive about making the team better. I understand where the question's coming from as well. You could say, "You had a good night on draft night." That could be your perception. Maybe it isn't. But the movement that has taken place this summer those weren't huge weeks. So I think some of your people contacting you (on the Cohn Zohn) are wanting to know is there a big move coming. Right now we're still working toward the objective to make our team better. That may mean a big move or it may mean something that is smaller. In addition, any move you make could be motivated also for cap reasons. What I want to be clear about to the public is I have not been told to make a bad deal to save money. I've been told to make basketball deals. Now in basketball deals you look at cap management. What's the objective? To make a good team and to win. So we'll be aggressive all the way through. I have a feel for the market in the NBA. I know what players are worth in general. I pretty much know what each of our guys is worth. This may play into one of your other questions that you have to ask - it's about Stephen Jackson. People say, "Are you making calls about Stephen Jackson?" I don't have to. I know his value. I've had some conversations where his name has come up.

Cohn: Would you expect Stephen to be on the team this season?

Riley: I do. I do. We made a comment in response to the fact that he requested a trade. I didn't want to be involved in a knee-jerk reaction. I didn't respond immediately. But I knew you've got to respond to that kind of a request even though it's August and there's not much going on. That was big enough that you've got to do something. I made the comment that I expect him to be just as he has been, be a Golden State Warrior. We also gave him the benefit of the doubt by saying he's not the first guy who's ever wanted to play for a championship. We expect our guys to want to play for winners. I believe that. I didn't feel I could say something I didn't believe just to quiet things down. I understand his desire to want to play for a title. Everybody on our team would like to play for a championship. I'm not too offended by that. Here's what I say in regards to that. Was it a bad time for this to come up? Sure it was. Would it have been better if it never came up? Sure.

Cohn: Do you feel he's reconciled to being here this year?

Riley: At this stage that's my feeling and I've had some conversations with him. I also will probably have one more conversation at some point this week. My expectation is he will report to camp and go to work and be the same player he's always been for us. Nellie's also come out and said, "Stephen Jackson is still our captain." Nellie and I have the same expectation where he's concerned, that he's going to come to camp and go play. He's going to get some hard questions on Media Day (Monday). I haven't told him what to say. I'm not going to try to influence that. About the only thing I can say to him is, "Stephen, we're going to have you in camp. We expect you to play well. And you're going to get some tough questions."

Cohn: I think the cliché is the team needs to go to the next level. The way I look at your team you have a nucleus of terrific young players and I think a reasonable strategy could go either way. One, you could be patient and let these players develop. Another would be, "We have a very good, maybe great nucleus. We need a kick-ass veteran at 4 like Stoudamire." Which way are you inclined to let this thing evolve?

Riley: That's been on my mind since I became general manager and it's an accurate assessment of exactly where we are. You have two ways you could go. You could say, "We have a great young team. Let's just slow down here and let them all develop and hope everything works well." Or you could say, "I need a really solid player who's nearly an all-star or an all-star. The driving force on that is what's available. We are satisfied with our team and we can go play this season and we think we'll be successful with not having to do that. But if you could do that then you're going to arrive at the destination quicker. At that point the question is - what does it cost you to get that kind of a guy? Somebody asked me about getting players in the last year of their contract. You watch baseball. They'll go rent a player. Look at what the Cardinals did when they picked up Holliday. They know that, yet they're going after a title. The concept of renting a player is difficult for me to swallow if you have to gut your team to do that. So you're back to the asking price. If you don't have to gut your team, then it's a lot easier to say yeah. I think it would be beneficial for us if we added another guy without having to give up too much if we're talking about a really good player. Otherwise I have the confidence this team in due time is going to develop into a good outfit as it sits.

Cohn: What is due time?

Riley: That's of course the hard one. I would hope we would be playing winning basketball somewhere at the end of the season. It's very difficult to say how fast somebody's going to come along. Both Randolph and Morrow for example are young players that played a lot of minutes last year. They may be ahead of some guys who are second-year players. Brandan Wright is a third-year guy. Those guys know Nellie's system. Will there be some hiccups? Yeah. That's the NBA. The only guy on our squad that's in the young group that has a lot to learn is Curry. He has the benefit of having such a basketball background. He probably has a little better picture of the NBA than some people do.

Cohn: I assume Randolph will be your 4 this year.

Riley: That would be a correct assumption in my discussions with Nellie.

Cohn: I think eventually he can play a 3 and you can get a big guy there (4) and I think that's the key move.

Riley: That could happen. What we have talked about with Randolph is him playing 4 and then playing some 3. We looked at that last year and thought putting him in two positions - we felt it was better for him to play at the 4. I'm quoting Nellie so make sure this is Nellie's analysis. It was better off for him to play the 4 and play one position and not have to learn two of them. As we go into this year we look at that and I'm certain Nellie's going to play him at 4 but he's going to have the expectation he might go some at 3. He might go even at 5 in some situations. I don't think Nellie sees him as a guy who plays a lot of 5. He's looking at him as a multi-position player.

Cohn: This season will you be a playoff contender?

Riley: Our objective is to be in the playoff hunt. If we can get there by All-Star break then maybe you make a push to make your team better at that time. We want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Cohn: What's the future of Monta Ellis?

Riley: His preparation coming into this season should be pretty good. His injury history is that, it's history. He had an awful good year when we won 48. I think he can advance from that. Last season of course was a wash.

Cohn: I have been ironic toward you in my writing. I called you Little Nellie. My thinking was you were very close to Don and I was suspicious whether you were an independent guy. My question is: I assume from your point of view it's an unfair thing for me to write. Can you say why? How can you convince fans and readers you're your own guy?

Riley: It's more relevant to you than me. I'm an older guy who has my own system in place for how I want to live and how I do my job. It isn't based on Don Nelson. What is between Nellie and I is a great friendship and ability to work with each other. Obviously it's almost a sarcastic remark.

Cohn: I'd say it is sarcastic.

Riley: Would it have been pleasant to read it some other way? Yeah. I'm comfortable enough with who I am and the way I'm approaching my job that I can't allow those kind of things to come into my thinking where it bothers me regards to the job I do and regards to my relationship with Nellie. You'll still see me smoking a cigar with Nellie from time to time outside the arena. I'm not going to distance myself from him nor should I. I don't see a great need to go out and prove to the world that I'm anything else than what I am. It's not in my interest to say, "I'm going to show the world than I'm more than Don Nelson's friend." That'll all come out in the end. That'll emerge in its own time.

Cohn: I won't use that phrase any more. Fair is fair. We talked about it. You explained yourself.

Riley: Name calling can be a little tough as far as my family is concerned.

Cohn: Can you describe your personality?

Riley: Self-analysis is the hardest thing in general to do and have it be accurate. Inaccurate self-analysis is pretty easy. Accurate self analysis is pretty difficult so I may not be right on this. I hope I am. If you'd describe me I think you would say sometimes quiet, not shy, but sometimes quiet or reserved. Usually thinking too much, too many thoughts spinning around my own head for my own good. Not that that's a bad thing for the organization - for my own good. Sometimes too serious. And in that regard Don Nelson has been one of the best things that ever happened to me. He taught me how to enjoy life while in this wacky business. Before I encountered him I had months and months of serious grind grind grind and Nellie taught me how to break that. I needed that. Plus if you're around him he's one of the most fun-loving guys you're ever going to be around. We get separated in the summer time. Even if I've got something going on I do a better job now laying it down so I can have dinner and have a little bit of an evening and go to bed and sleep. Years ago I couldn't do that.

Cohn: You said -- sometimes I'm quiet. I'm not shy -- What are you quiet about?

Riley: I'm quiet because of the things spinning in my mind.

Press Democrat Raiders reporter Phil Barber just came out with a book about the great Vince Lombardi. And all I can say is, "Wow!"

This is one of the all-time terrific football books and it will appeal to Lombardi fans and all football fans who love the history of the NFL or are in love with larger than life personalities or just love wonderful and smart writing.

The book is called "The Official Vince Lombardi Playbook." It is a hardback published by The Lyons Press and is available in bookstores and on Amazon for list price $29.99 -- a bargain.

Phil got his hands on Lombardi's playbook and his explanatory notes typed on index cards or written in his handwriting. This is priceless material and it makes you feel you're reading an original Shakespeare manuscript in the Bard's own handwriting.

Phil explains that Lombardi's offense -- an offense no one could stop -- was essentially simple. It was not a monster playbook like some teams have now. It had limited plays but Lombardi's Packers executed them perfectly. Every team knew the Pack would run that famous Lombardi sweep with the great Paul Hornung carrying the ball behind a million blockers and it still worked almost all the time.

Phil explains how no one knew what to do with Hornung until Lombardi arrived in Green Bay. He took one look at Hornung, realized he had his own Frank Gifford, phoned Hornung and said he'd be the starting halfback. As you know Hornung became a superstar.

The book is filled with great photos and all that Lombardi material -- it's like looking right into the great man's mind. Here is a quote from one of Lombardi's typewritten little essays on defense:

EVERYONE MUST REMEMBER

1. You do not know in advance what the opposition is going to do. (a) They may do anything that can be done in football.

2. You must be prepared to defend against every conceivable type of play.

3. If someone definitely tips off the play take advantage of this tip but never try to outguess the QB. HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS CALLING.

4. Know what you must defend against 1yd -- 3 yds -- 5 yds or even 20 yds -- BUT AGAIN DO NOT TRY TO OUTGUESS THE PLAY.

And here is a quote from QB Bart Starr about Lombardi and his famous temper. Lombardi had dressed down Starr in front of the team. Starr told him, "If you want me to be the leader of this team, you can't undermine me in front of the other players. Whatever you have to say to me, do it privately."

Phil explains Lombardi never did that again.

A word about Phil. He is a great reporter. But he's more than that. He is a creative writer who writes sports. His prose is a pleasure and he's creative and smart. I love his book. For his next project I want him to get Bill Walsh's playbook and give it the treatment he gave Lombardi's. That would be something. 

I got a phone call from the Warriors on Monday asking if I want to talk to GM Larry Riley. It seems Riley is reaching out to the media and meeting with select reporters and columnists today in half hour segments. Chris Mullin was somewhat media averse so this is a smart strategy by Riley, the guy I've been calling Little Nellie. By the end of last season the relations between the Warriors (mostly Nelson) and the media were horrendous so this is a good first step in mending fences.

My time slot is 1:30 and yes I'm going. I want to know Riley. I want to learn if he's a straight shooter and if he has a real plan for the W's or if it's all smoke and mirrors and public relations. I want to know about Stephen Jackson and why they didn't get a power forward and what's the future position of Anthony Randolph and how Don Nelson is doing and if I should take this team seriously. Mostly I want to know Riley. I'll write a column on this either today or tomorrow and also I'll post a blog. If you have any questions you think I should ask Riley please send them in.

Good double team by the two Press Democrat guys at Mike Singletary's Monday news conference.

The big topic - unaddressed for more than 11 minutes - is the news that the Jets allegedly tampered with holdout Michael Crabtree.

Matt Maiocco went first. "Mike, are the 49ers filing tampering charges against the Jets?"

Singletary, looking stern, said: "You know that's something that the league is going to handle internally and I'm not going to get into that. We'll let that play out, the process. I'm not even going to go there. We'll let the league handle that."

I was sitting there asking myself exactly what Singletary had said. Matt didn't ask if the Jets tampered, didn't ask anything about the case. He merely asked if the Niners had filed tampering charges with the NFL. To my way of thinking Singletary confirmed that, but I wanted to be sure.

So I said, "Coach, when Matty asked you about the tampering charges." Singletary looked even more stern and tried to interrupt me. "Just bear with me on this," I said.

"I'm not going to address it," he said.

"I understand," I said, "but I just want to tell you what you said -- 'I'm going to let the league handle that.' What?"

Singletary looked at Matt and said, "What did you ask me? Ask me the question again."

Matt said, "Have the 49ers filed tampering charges against the Jets?"

Singletary said, "The part where you said the 49ers filed tampering charges on the Jets I'm going to let the league handle that point."

To which I replied, "Fine by me."

Based on this byplay it's pretty clear the Niners filed tampering charges against the Jets, otherwise what point is Singletary and the Niners letting the league handle? He all but admitted the 49ers have taken an action on a tampering charge. Very interesting. Stay tuned. To read my column on the tampering and how the Niners are trying not to be wimps anymore click here.

I was planning on going to the Raiders today to get the skinny on JaMarcus Russell. Like can he play a whole game or is he only good in the final few minutes?

But the New York Daily News is reporting the Jets may have tampered with Michael Crabby Crabtree. If that's the deal it would explain a lot about Crabtree's willingness to sit on his butt while the season goes into week 3. Maybe the Jets promised him a better deal next year if he sits tight.

So I'm about to drive to Santa Clara where I'm sure Singletary will stonewall during his weekly news conference. But you never know. This is all quite interesting. Talk to you in a few hours.

So how good are the 49ers? I mean, they've had two wins against division opponents and that's an encouraging start. Do we call them a playoff team right now? Do we say they can win postseason games?

I'd like to, but not so fast. They don't yet have a passing game and although Frank Gore was out of this world today we saw him get stopped in Arizona. So the Niners look good but nothing is definitive and please don't think I'm being a wet blanket. I'm trying to be reasonable.

For what it's worth -- it's worth a lot -- Mike Singletary was measured in his praise of his team after the victory over the Seahawks. "We're doing a decent job," he said.

Here are other Singletary quotes, all tempering his enthusiasm about the win.

"We just left too much on the table."

"We're not satisfied with 2-0. We want to make a difference in this year's playoffs, championships, whatever."

"Last week was ugly but I loved it. This week was ugly but I loved it."

"We have not been 3-0 since I've been here. That's the next step."

"For us it's too early to tell. We're striving to be a good football team."

And here's one interesting quote from Jimmy Raye: "If we can run the ball and get short throws we'll be OK."

So, sure, the Niners have gotten off to a perfect start. All praise to them. Maybe next week in Minnesota we'll find out what it means.

The Niners honored Eddie D at halftime. He deserved it, sure. But the gesture was more important than honoring one man. The 49ers have a terrific history -- I'll say flat out they're the most important pro team in the Bay Area.

The Giants, for example, knock themselves out honoring past generations of players -- all those statues and public reunions are wonderful affairs. The Niners should have had a hall of fame a long time ago. Now they have one and they're doing the right thing and you can just imagine what great names they will induct in the near future.

An interesting thing happened after the 49ers beat the Seahawks. Coach Mike Singletary came into the postgame news conference and this is what he said: "Before I say anything, I want to say this. From now on, when I come up here and talk I want you to understand that I'm not trying to go in the wrong direction. I want you to know that when I say thank God for my coaches, thank God for my players, that's exactly what I mean. Nothing more, nothing less. It's not meant to do anything other than I thank God for that. Okay? I just want you guys to understand."

This obviously was a response to me. I'm not getting into the whole thing again but after last week's game -- after he thanked God -- I asked if he wants his players to believe in God. He had said he wants them to "believe," but he meant in each other not necessarily God. 

Afterward I blogged about his public declarations of faith. So as I say he was answering me today.

I want to get something straight. After the Arizona game, he specifically said, "Thank god for the victory that we had." In what he said today he omitted the God and victory part and concentrated on coaches and players. I understand a coach thanking God for his players and coaches and thanking God for no serious injuries. But I don't understand thanking God for a win. Bill Walsh once told me he thought that was ridiculous, God taking sides in a football game.

So I appeciate Singletary trying to clarify what he said. I believe he's decent man and a sincere man and a brave man and a religious man. And those are all wonderful qualities. But if he thanks the man upstairs for a win he also should thank Him for a loss or just leave the whole thing alone.

Floyd Mayweather is either very brave or very nuts. In his first post-retirement fight on Saturday night he's going against Juan Manuel Marquez one of the five or so best fighters in the world.

In case you don't know Marquez, he fought Manny Pacquiao twice -- once to a draw, once losing a controversial decision. He is a competent boxer, a big hitter and he takes a good shot. In other words he's a tough guy with skills.

Traditionally in the sport of boxing great champions fight cream puffs in their first fight after retirement -- 21 months in Mayweather's case. Time away from the ring makes a fighter -- even Mayweather -- less sharp in a sport where you have to be very sharp to survive.

So as I say he's either brave or nuts. Or maybe it's something else. Mayweather owes money all over the place and I believe he wants to make a killing -- money, not homicide -- quickly and in a big way right away. Therefore Marquez.

In spite of whatever disadvantages Mayweather may have, I'm picking him to win. He is bigger than Marquez and that is significant. It is unclear if Marquez will carry his punch up to welterweight, although from everything I understand this is not a regular welterweight fight at 147 pounds. It's at the curious weight of 144.

I don't believe Mayweather will knock out Marquez because he does not like to trade punches. He'll outbox him and frustrate him and maybe cut him.

He'll win a decision and then we'll wait for him to fight Pacquiao, a fight he ought to win.

I just read a fascinating article on aol.com -- I think AP generated it. The article explains that parent groups and some members of Congress object to all the erectile dysfunction ads during football games -- I should say ads for products that cure or alleviate, I'm not quite sure of the verb, erectile dysfunction.

Some parents believe these ads are not appropriate for all the kids watching the games. When I was a young man I would have said these folks who are anti ED ads are all wet. I live in Northern California and there is, or used to be, an anything goes mentality.

Now I am a mostly grown up man with children and I don't feel anything goes anymore. I must admit, as prudish as it sounds, parents have every reason and right to feel uncomfortable with these ads -- which also abound on baseball tv broadcasts.

I mean, you're sitting there with your kid and all of a sudden this older couple gets the urge and runs into the condo and closes the curtain for whoopie time and a voice comes on and says if you have an erection for more than four hours seek a doctor's help.

Good grief. Soon I'm going to be a grandfather and I can just imagine explaining to the little guy -- it will be a little guy, I've been told -- what's the problem with a four hour erection.

I also think parents are allowed to protest what they don't think is good for kids and this extends to what networks put on TV. One Congressman introduced a bill that these ads could run only between 10 pm and 6 am. It will never pass but it's a good idea.

I'm not so wild about beer ads either. They show drinking beer is cool and gets guys lots of chicks, although I remember back in college puking my guts out after one all nighter. That wasn't much fun.

I know I sound like an old fuddy duddy. I am and I'm proud of it. When I was younger I would not have argued for standards and restraint. Now I argue for them. I shout out loud.

I caught up with Ira Miller this morning and we talked about the upcoming weekend in the NFL.

Cohn: What do you look for in the 49ers' game against Seattle?

Miller: We'll learn a lot more about them than last week. I really believe Seattle is the best team in the division. Last year was an aberration - injuries, a lame duck coach. Beating Arizona was a good victory for the 49er, don't get me wrong. It's just that people remember Arizona playing in the Super Bowl but the Cardinals weren't a very good team last year. They got hot at the right time, but they weren't that good

Cohn: What will we learn about the 49ers on Sunday?

Miller: Seattle is not an elite team -- none of the NFC West teams is elite, but if the 49ers beat Seattle they will be 2-0 and in first place in the division and you've got to say they are doing better. I would not have expected them to start 2-0. That being said this is supposed to be a running team and they couldn't run the ball a lick against Arizona and we'll see that until Shaun Hill can win games with his arm. The 49ers have challenged league. "We'll run the ball." Well, let's see you run.

Cohn: Can you pick a winner in the game?

Miller: Seattle. It's the best team in the division. I suspect because the 49ers are honoring Eddie this week they will try to whip up a lot of emotion with the fans and players. We'll learn something about Seattle. The  Seahawks are historically a bad road team and I want to see if they can withstand all that.

Cohn: How did Singletary perform against Arizona?

Miller: I thought he was fine. You win an opening game on the road and come from behind to do it. That's a good start.

How did you evaluate Shaun Hill?

Miller: He throws the short pass. He got it done. He was adequate. He did not lose the game. They don't want him to lose games. They don't want him to win games, just not lose and he drove for the wining touchdown. He did fine. Remember it's only one game but he did fine. If he beats Seattle you look at the 49ers a little differently. This is a very big game especially since it's at home.

Cohn: Let's move to the Raiders. What did you feel about their first game?

Miller: They really surprised me. I thought they were better than the 49ers and I thought the offensive line was terrific most of the game. Now, how much of San Diego's struggle was the Norv Turner factor, I don't know? Certainly Tomlinson didn't look like he used to. I'm not impressed with the Raiders' wide receivers but the offensive line played very well. The Raiders should have been a couple of scores ahead at halftime.

Cohn: They have been criticized for not finishing the San Diego game.

Miller: That's a valid criticism. Ultimately a game is either win or lose and they had the win and couldn't hold it. They lost it in the first half. They could have taken control and didn't. They had that dropped pass in the end zone and, by the way, the officials made the absolute correct call.

Cohn: What is the meaning of Sunday's game against Kansas City?

Miller: If they can't beat Kansas City then we're back to where we were and whatever good feeling came out of playing San Diego so tough dissipates. I would not say a win would establish them but certainly it would be a step forward from the last few years because Kansas City is not any good. The Raiders should win the next two games. They play two teams on their level - Kansas City and Denver.

Cohn: How did JaMarcus Russell do against the Chargers?

Miller: Not awful. He threw a few nice passes. He looked improved. Obviously he didn't look great.

Cohn: Your impression of McFadden?

Miller: The running game was very good. McFadden was OK. Bush really looked good. What did it for me was the offensive line. I could have run behind some of those blocks and I'm old and slow now. They were just blowing them out of there.

Cohn: But the Raiders didn't finish at the end:

Miller: San Diego driving down the field is reminiscent of last year and the year before that. I'm not excusing the Raiders but what happened in the first half was important. We tend to focus on the last drive. If they had done what they should have done earlier it's a different game.

Cohn: How did Cable do?

Miller:  I don't know what Cable does actually. He's an offensive line guy. You've  got to give him credit for the line's performance. I haven't seen a Raider offensive line dominate like that for a while.

I gave Ira a few bonus questions. We talked about Belichick.

Miller: Mangini and other assistants who worked for Belichick all fall on their ass when they leave him, Crennel, Charlie Weiss. Josh McDaniels is way over his head in Denver. That tells you how good Belichick is. The more you see of Belichick he's pretty good. It took him a while; he had that experience in Cleveland. His assistants haven't exactly sparkled as head coaches. It's important to realize Parcells got credit for turning all these teams around but he never won a playoff game without Belichick on his staff.

Cohn: Let's talk about Terrell Owens.

Miller: How long will it take him to pop off? Not long. He couldn't have been happy Sunday night. He can't stand Randy Moss and Moss had a good game. Earlier in the game Buffalo had a promising drive but T.O. dropped a critical 3^rd down pass which is what he does. He'll drop a pass and then complain because they didn't throw him enough balls. I get sick and tired of the tv networks talking about him every Sunday. He's a compiler, he compiles stats. He also breaks up teams. It's been 11 years since he played on a team that won a playoff game. In 1998 he played in a playoff game which his team won.

Cohn: Your thoughts on Aaron Rodgers

Miller: Against Chicago he took a real beating early but hung in there and they had enough confidence late in the game to pass the ball. They had 3^rd and 1 and a field goal would win the game and they let him throw and he threw a touchdown pass. It's his second year as starter. He's off to a good start this year. I like him and I like Tedford and maybe he can put to rest that myth that Tedford's quarterbacks are all system guys and can't play in the NFL. And he's testimony to how to handle players. If the 49ers drafted him they would have ruined him. He would have been harder to ruin than Alex Smith because he has more moxie. But they would have found a way to ruin him, too.

Bad loss for the Giants. They needed this game. They had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the 9th with nobody out and couldn't deliver. Heck, they had the tying run on the bases. Nate Schierholtz struck out on a 3-2 fastball. It was ball 4 but he swung. "Obviously, this was the biggest at bat of the year for me," he said. "You always want to be up there in the bottom of the 9th."

The Giants fall to 3 1/2 behind Colorado and I've learned my lesson. I won't write them off although things get pretty tough from here. They have 16 games left, so consider this a 16-game playoff.

For what it's worth these are some Giants who did not play well in this important game: Renteria, Rowand, Torres, Cain.

Note. As I mentioned in a previous blog Jeff Fletcher has set me up on Twitter. I see a bunch of you are following me on Twitter. For the time being my Twitter tweets will be limited to alerting readers I've posted a blog. Jeff said he'll actually teach me to "go to the next level" when he thinks I'm ready to tweet real Twitters or twitter real tweets -- you know what I mean.

Here are the starting lineups for tonight's showdown between the Giants and Rockies:

ROCKIES

Carlos Gonzalez, CF, .284

Seth Smith, LF, .310

Todd Helton, 1B, .321

Troy Tulowitzki, SS, 282

Brad Hawpe, RF, .290

Yorvit Torrealba, C, .276

Ian Stewart, 3B, .231

Clint Barmes, 2B, .241

Jorge, De La Rosa, LHP, 14-9, 4.37.

GIANTS

Andres Torres, LF, .250

Freddy Sanchez, 2B, .293

Pablo Sandoval, 1B, .322

Bengie Molina, C, .265

Juan Uribe, 3B, .289

Edgar Renteria, SS, .252

Aaron Rowand, CF, .266

Nate Schierholtz, RF, .274

Matt Cain, RHP, 13-5, 2.61

Looking at these lineups you'd have to say the Rockies have the advantage. But that may not be the case. The Giants have clobbered them in this series and if they win tonight are only 1 1/2 games behind.

A week ago I told Marty Lurie the Giants were dead. He stared at me. "They're teetering," he said. He meant don't count them out. He was right.

A few moments ago I spoke to Rich Aurilia. "This is the biggest game of the year," he said. "Every game is."

Then Bruce Bochy addressed the media on the difference between trailing by 1 1/2 or 3 1/2 depending on what happens tonight. "It's a big difference and we know it. That's why this is such a big game. You run out of time, run out of games."

Bochy on Juan Uribe's importance. "He's going to be out there every day, somewhere. He played his way into the every-day lineup."

Bochy on whether he looks at the scoreboard during a game. "I hate to cliche this. We can't be looking at the scoreboard now. It's up to you to take care of business."

For what it's worth I don't believe him. I'll get back to you later.

A few days ago, Zohn reader Fred Garcia asked me to blog about Serena Williams and the foot fault and the ensuing tirade. I held off because I wanted to write a column about Williams. But it turns out the Giants are alive -- I didn't expect this, really -- and I'm covering them tonight for my column, so here goes with Serena Williams.

It seems to me there are two issues: 1) the orginal foot fault call. 2) Williams' reaction.

OK, first the call itself. We all want athletes to obey the rules and a foot fault is a foot fault. It's just that Williams didn't seem to foot fault, at least not on the video I saw. And even if she did you hate a lines woman to call something so trivial at a crucial point near the end of a match. It felt like the official was intruding herself into the match.

If this were baseball or football the official would be made available to reporters to explain her ruling. It is routine for a pool reporter to talk to officials in baseball and football, and Monday night in Oakland one official talked to a pool reporter about the apparent Raiders' TD reception that was ruled incomplete.

To the best of my knowledge the lines woman has not met with the media, nor has she been identified. If I am incorrect please tell me. If the media met her they could have asked a key question -- had she warned Williams previously in the match and told her if she foot faulted once more she would penalize her? This would be crucial to know.

OK, now we come to Williams' reaction to the foot fault call. It has been reported she yelled at the woman, "I'm going to shove this (freaking) racket down your (freaking) throat." She also pointed the racket at the woman in a gesture that some think was threatening. Back to baseball. If a batter gets rung up by the umpire the code says a batter can say, "That was a (expletive deleted) call." Umpires accept this. But the batter cannot be personal, cannot say to the ump, "You are (expletive deleted). If a batter gets personal the ump runs him out of the game.

Williams got personal and she got threatening. She deserved to lose the point which lost her the match. No matter what the provocation -- a bad call -- she went over the top in a way that would not be accepted even in baseball, a more earthy sport than tennis, a sport in which arguing is accepted.

To her credit, Williams never disputed her $10,000 fine and in interviews later she did not dispute her disqualification. Understand this, the officials did not run her out of the match as an ump would kick out a ballplayer. They merely penalized her a point which then lost her the match. On the other hand, they knew the match was over for her. If this had happened earlier they very well might have run her out.

Williams acted atrociously when she verbally assaulted the official. She deserves her fine of 10 grand. She should not get fined any more -- they are talking about fines up to $560,000. And she should not get suspended. Enough is enough.

Funny thing, against the Chargers the Raiders did what the Niners tried to do against Arizona. Here's what I mean. The 49ers want to be a run first team and they wanted to incorporate passing into that.

They didn't do it so well in Arizona and that makes you wonder if they ever can do it. But the Raiders did that Monday night -- ran the ball and set up some nice passes by J. Russell. It's like the Raiders were a better version of the Niners.

Except the Niners won and the Raiders lost. I have to keep reminding myself of that because it feels like the Niners lost and Raiders won, and I know that's crazy.

Note: One Zohn reader called me an "opinionist." I love that word. Is an opinionist the same as a columnist?

I have a question for you. It's serious so think before answering.

Who is a bigger drag on his team, Darrius Heyward-Bey with the Raiders or Michael Crabtree with the 49ers?

Take a moment. OK. Here's my answer.

Heyward- Bey is the bigger liability by far. In his first pro game last night he caught no passes for no yards. That's a lot of nothing. JaMarcus Russell threw to him 4 times so DHB is oh for 4. That's 4 wasted plays. On other plays DHB looked open but I get the feeling Russell generally looks the other way and has no confidence in DHB. And why should he? Louis Murphy, another beginner, caught 4 passes including that dramatic 57 yarder for a TD that almost won the game. So DHB is a general drag on the team.

Crabtree on the other hand is no drag at all on the 49ers. He is present in the sense of being absent. He does nothing good but unlike DHB he does nothing bad. You've got to give him credit for that.

So far the 49ers are getting more out of their famous draft choice than the Raiders get from theirs.

It is customary to criticize the Raiders after a loss. If you expect that from me stop reading right now. Look, I expected nothing from this team. But they played a real football game and they played like a real football team. They played with anger and energy and brains. They got beaten by the better team at the very end -- and it's a flaw to lose at the end, sure.

But they made the Chargers sweat and they participated in one hell of a football game. And even though the Raiders lost you tend to think they are making progress. I think that based on what I saw tonight. They can run and defend and JaMarcus Russell seems to be getting it at least some of the time.

And I'm grateful for all of that. I'm getting tired of writing the Raiders are bums. It's nice to write something else for a change. To read my column on the Raiders opener click here. 

I want to tell you how I got started on this whole Singletary and God thing. Judge for yourselves and if your judgment toward me is harsh, fair enough.

When Singletary came into the postgame news conference in Arizona he began by saying before he got to football he wanted to thank God for the victory, etc. I listened and didn't say anything, although as you know I have philosphical problems with anyone thanking God for victory in a football game.

Anyway, Singletary moved on. He said the key for his team is -- "They have to believe."

I was pretty sure he meant the players need to believe in each other. It's the typical football speak. But remember he said this right after his invocation of God. So I asked if he meant the players need to believe in God.

"No," he said, "But I hope they do." Then he explained he wants players to believe in each other and the team program, etc.

I don't think it's his business what people believe in but he meant well. I know that.

Later I went to dinner with two of my friends who were at that news conference and they admitted to me my question made them uncomfortable. I can see that. But I'm still glad I asked it.

If Singletary feels comfortable to talk about God at the drop of a hat in professional news conferences I feel I have the right to ask him about it. He put that topic on the table.

I also think news conferences are not dialogs between friends. They should be polite, of course. But they do not need to be friendly because writers are not friends with the folks they cover. In news conferences ideas should collide and sometimes there should be disagreement the same as in White House press conferences.

I was challenging Singletary because he put himself in a position to get challenged. It is my job sometimes to challenge the people I cover. Singletary did not seem knocked over by my question. He handled himself quite well and did not appear uncomfortable or offended.

I know people don't care about sportswriters but I can't help writing this personal blog post. When I was a kid my dad, a lawyer, wanted me to be a lawyer. Obviously I'm not a lawyer. I'm a sportswriter and I have to tell you it's a blast.

Last night I covered the 49er game in Arizona. This morning I jumped on a plane, flew to Oakland, drove home, said hi to my wife, took a shower and put on clean clothes and drove to the Coliseum where I'm currently sitting in the press box to cover the Raiders opener.

This is a blast and I have to say being a sportswriter and getting to cover two season openers in two different states is the greatest. I also have to say being a sportswriter is maybe the best job in the world. I mean, I get paid to do this stuff. I'm sure some lawyers feel that way about their jobs but I'm in heaven right now. I just felt like telling you.

Singletary and God is a controversial topic judging by the responses from my first entry. So I want to clarify. When I went away to college my dad gave me this bit of advise: "Don't discuss politics and religion."

That seems kind of quaint now. I do discuss politics and sometimes religion but I never try to convert anyone and I don't let people try to convert me.

I feel uncomfortable with Singletary's public show of religion. It seems too public. I think a person's faith is private. Clearly he and I disagree on that. I don't like when he thanks God for a victory. That makes God trivial, makes God an extension of Singletary's ego, whether Singletary realizes that or not.

So what would I accept in Singletary when it comes to God talk? It would be appropriate if, after a game, he walks into the news conference, win or lose, and says, "I want to thank God that the players on both teams are healthy and neither team suffered severe injuries." And if someone got hurt bad he could say, "I pray for the recovery of So and So."

I think that's fair comment and if Singletary does that he refrains from making God into the great sports fan in the sky.

Because Jimmy Raye would not talk to me about Shaun Hill -- see another blog entry in the Zohn -- I asked Vernon Davis about him. Mike Singletary doesn't allow Raye to talk but he apparently puts no such restriction on his tight end.

So after the game I asked Davis what Hill is like as a quarterback, or as they say in philosophy class -- qua quarterback.

"He's usually on point. Since training camp he's been OK on drives like that," Davis said of the game-winning drive. "When it's most critical he's going to show up. He's ready to make things happen."

How much confidence does Davis have in Hill?

"I have a lot of confidence in him. I think he can take us to the Promised Land."

What's the Promised Land?

"Playoffs then maybe a championship."

When you catch his ball what does it feel like?

At this point Delanie Walker joined the conversation. "It's like a teddy bear," Walker said and both of them laughed.

I asked what Walker meant by teddy bear. "It's accurate and it's soft," he said.

I asked if soft is good.

Davis interrupted. "If you've got a safety coming over the top you want it fast. You don't want it soft; you want it hard."

Can he throw it hard?

"Oh yes he can," Davis said. "He can do anything you want him to."

This is about 49er offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye who also is a mute. After the 49ers beat Arizona I hurried to the visiting locker room along with the other Bay Area writers. In the locker room, you're allowed to walk over to players and ask questions. It's what you're supposed to do. I thought this applied to coaches, too.

I saw Raye walking across the locker room and walked over to him. "How did Shaun Hill do?" I asked. Raye clearly was the guy to ask.

Raye looked at me as if I had suggested kinky sex. As he hurried away from me he said, "I'll talk to you on Thursday."

Clearly Thursday was too late for a column I had to write then and there.

"Are you tongue-tied?" I asked.

"What?" he said.

"Tongue-tied," I said.

"No, I'm not allowed to talk to you, I don't think," he said.

Raye is a grown man but he's not allowed to talk to me except on Thursday. This surely is an edict from Mike Singletary. Singletary is a man and he should allow his coaches to be men, too.

This is what Mike Singletary said at the very beginning of his news conference after the 49ers beat the Cardinals: "Before any questions are asked I want to thank God for the victory that we had. Thank God for the guys that we have. Thank God for the coaches that we have and the opportunity to be part of the 49er organization.

Singletary is a man of faith and what he said was humble and respectful and showed his sincerity. I still wish he wouldn't say that stuff, and I know a lot of you get angry when I bring this up.

Why do I bring it up? Because I don't believe God gave Singletary or the 49ers the victory. The 49ers gave themselves the victory. The entire event was terrestrial and had nothing to do with the heavens.

Kurt Warner of the Cardinals is a religious guy just like Singletary. Does the Niner victory mean God no longer smiles on Warner or got tired of Warner? Does Singletary actually think God favors him over Warner in football games?

I can't prove this one way or another but Singletary's assumptions lead him to logical inconsistencies and imply he is God's favorite.

I wish coaches and athletes would keep their religious beliefs to themselves.

I am currently in Arizona, arrived Friday night to visit some friends. I'm here to cover the Niner-Card football game and I'm thinking about Michael Crabtree. I'm a little out of touch so for all I know he signed with the 49ers but I don't think so.

As I understand it Crabtree does not like SF's offer of $16 million guaranteed for 5 years. Here's what I want to say. In Crabtree's dream world that may not be a lot of money but in my real world it is. If someone gave me 16 mil right now I would be set for life and so would my entire family. 16 may not suit Crabtree but it would suit the vast majority of the population, would make us giddy. Which means I have no sympathy for this guy. The Niners are offering to set him up for life and he has a problem with that. He needs to be set up better than that or maybe he needs to be set up for two lives.

Everyone I know is having employment problems. My journalism friends and I are giving back salary to our struggling newspapers. And this joker is complaining because the 49ers want to set him up for life. What a clown.

I spoke to Ira Miller this morning to get his take on the 49ers and Raiders before their games this weekend. Ira is the professor emeritus of NFL writers and one of my closest friends and he generously gave me his time. He and I will try to do this on a fairly regular basis during the season and I will post our conversations on the Cohn Zohn.

Cohn: What will the 49ers' record be this season?

Miller: Their division is so bad it's hard to tell with them. I don't know what the record will be but you have to have a quarterback and a pass rush to win in the NFL and I don't think they have either one.

Cohn: What are your impressions of Shaun Hill?

Miller: He's a good backup quarterback, probably. He's not going to win games for you. Ultimately in the NFL there are times when the quarterback has to win a game for you. You can't just have these game managers unless you have Baltimore's 2000 defense, a great defense. There are situations when you need the quarterback to win a game.

Cohn: The Niners will emphasize Frank Gore and the run game. What do you think of that?

Miller: That's a great way to get a chance to get close to .500. You're not going to win a championship in the NFL just by running the ball. In 2008 the Falcons were second in rushing, Carolina was third and Baltimore fourth. Pittsburgh was 23^rd and Arizona was dead last. They were the two teams that played in the Super Bowl.

Cohn: What are your impressions of Mike Singletary?

Miller: The players respond to him. He's dogmatic and doesn't show the flexibility I see in a great coach. I sense a real level of insecurity in not letting his assistant coaches talk to the media and now he's starting to close some practices. I know people are going to defend him and say it's what Belichick does. He didn't do it until he had some skins on the wall. When he worked with Parcells practices were always open. It was always that way with Walsh. This is not a very friendly approach for a team that has stunk it up six years in row and can't sell tickets. I go back to what Madden said a long time ago. "You don't want to have a lot of rules. You want rules that win football games period." These rules do not win games. They are to show who's in charge. I've got to add I realize fans could care less how he treats the media, but it gives you a window into the guy's personality.

Cohn: It seems to me Singletary is going away from 49er football on offense. What do you think?

Miller: It's not so much 49er football as how do you win in pro football? Look what the Chicago Bears did to get Jay Cutler. You get a chance to get a potentially great quarterback you go get him. Obviously the 49ers do not believe in their quarterbacks. Otherwise why did they flirt with Warner? You can't cover up not having a quarterback.

Cohn: What are your impressions of Jimmy Raye?

Miller: He's a nice man. I haven't seen a world of innovation from him in all years he's been a coordinator. I will say this he's hamstrung by what he's got.

Cohn: Can the 49ers beat Arizona this Sunday?

Miller: Hard to say. Arizona sleepwalked through all of preseason. It's hard to turn it off then on.  

Cohn: What are the 49ers chances of getting a stadium in Santa Clara?

Miller: How stupid are voters in Santa Clara? We don't know.

Cohn: I'm moving onto the Raiders. What will their record be?

Miller: I don't think they'll have a good record. They haven't shown me anything. I'm not convinced JaMarcus Russell is ready to make a big leap. This whole coach thing with the Raiders is a joke.

Cohn: What do you mean?

Miller: Tom Cable, would you let him work on your car?

Cohn: You don't think he's a good coach?

Miller: No, but he's got a mean uppercut I hear.

Cohn: Your impressions of JaMarcus Russell?

Miller: It's unclear. He hasn't shown he's willing to work hard enough or that he's learned enough. McFadden really is a talent. But you need the quarterback. They have the misfortune of being in a division with one of best teams in the league - San Diego -- and they open with them. The next three weeks after that will be interesting. They have Kansas City, Denver and then Houston, three teams in a row in their situation. We'll learn a lot about them from those three games. They'll lose to San Diego. If they're 1-3 after that start, you have your answers.

Cohn: What's your reading of what's happening with Richard Seymour?

Miller: I guess he might want some financial guarantees before he shows up. It's just a guess. From the standpoint of the Raiders, the trade made no sense. They gave up a first round pick for a guy with injury problems and he's also going to be 30 in October.  He was a great defensive player but he's got a lot of mileage on him.

Cohn: I have two bonus questions for you. The first is about Brett Favre. How do you read him?

Miller: I understand why he wants to play. It's what they do. He's a football player. He makes it a little more dramatic than it needs to be. Three of his last four years he wasn't very good. He's going to be 40 and he will play 10 games on artificial turf. That's hard on the legs.  I heard from more than one GM, and this also goes for Seymour, "Any time you think you're one player away, you're not."

Cohn: Bonus question 2: What is Ira Miller doing these days?

Miller: He's struggling with his driving, his short game and his putting right now.

There's a bad feel about the Giants. I'm sitting in the pressbox after they dropped a 4-2 game to the Padres and it feels like they're running out of gas. This is no indictment of them. They gave it a great try.

But they can't hit and that will kill them in the next few weeks. There were other things. Barry Zito forgot to cover first when the very first batter of the game hit a grounder to Pablo Sandoval. The guy was safe and then he stole second and then scored. Zito not covering first is a little league mistake and it's unforgivable. He pitched OK but not great. And a team that can't hit needed great in this very important game as the Giants begin to fade.

The Giants had two on and no outs in the fourth and eighth and couldn't score and that's as bad as not covering first. Things are looking down, like the Giants are getting left behind.

Bruce Bochy just got done speaking about Tim Lincecum's bad back. Here are some of his relevant quotes:

"He's improving. We don't have a day he will pitch. He's moving around better. We'll wait until after tomorrow to see where we're at with him. He's a young kid and he hasn't had anything like this to deal with. He's very disappointed. Basically he needed two days (before the Giants could re-evaluate). He got back to his place after we flew in and he started having a spasm."

Bochy is saying the Giants do not know where they're at with Lincecum. He could come back real soon and he could not come back real soon. They'll know a little more tomorrow. If he comes back real soon, good. If he doesn't come back real soon the Giants have a big problem. They need him for every possible start. They're already beginning to show signs of fading in the wild card and losing Lincecum would be devastating.

Zito pitches today. He's done well lately and with Lincecum hurt the Giants need him to come through today. I still don't have confidence in Zito. I'm used to him blowing up in big games -- giving up homers and a ton of walks. I admit that feeling is unfair to him. Today he needs to come up big.

After the Giants lost horrendously in Milwaukee on Sunday, some Giants players and at least one coach complained the Brewers won without class. I read this in the paper. So here's the background.

Merkin Valdez, who does not belong in the majors, gave up a walkoff homer to Prince Fielder. What did you expect? Valdez can only throw fastballs and Fielder devours fastballs. Anyway, Fielder rounded the bags and when he arrived at home the Brewers players got down on the ground and bowed to him. It was a royalty thing I guess -- they bowed to the Prince.

Now you might think this was immature, the bowing. But after all these are young men. And anyway it was done in enthusiasm and to honor their great player. I saw nothing wrong with it. The Giants did.

In this morning's Chronicle I read an article with the headline: "Celebration irks players." The Giants were ticked off at the celebration. Coach Ron Wotus said this, "Did you see that celebration? You would like to think professionals would have a lot more respect for the game and their opponents. That was choreographed."

First a word about Wotus. He seems like a good guy, certainly friendly and approachable. I am writing about him because he's the guy that got quoted and his attitude is typical of big league players/coaches. I have nothing against Wotus.

OK first off, I don't understand what's wrong with being choreographed. But I'll let that pass and move on. Wotus said the celebration was disrespectful to the Giants and also to the entire game of baseball. Why? The Brewers were excited. They weren't even thinking about the Giants or the future of baseball.

This focusing on lack of respect is one of the unfortunate attitudes of baseball. Players are always going on about this one showed me up, this one disrespected me. If you steal late in the game with a big lead in the score that's disrespect and there will be retaliaiton. You know the drill. It's so juvenile. There are lots of things like that in baseball.

The fact is baseball is hardly a dangerous game compared with football, boxing or car racing or MMA. It's a frustrating game and the players are always posing as tough guys even though athletes are tougher in other sports.

That's where all this he showed me up stuff comes from. The players get their feelings hurt and don't know what to do about it and they talk tough.

The Brewers were not unprofessional on Sunday. The Giants were in not having a better pitcher than Merkin Valdez at the end. That was the ultimate act of disrespect to the Giants and baseball. Wotus and the rest should be upset about losing, not about a joyful celebration by the winners. What the Brewers did after the game was over was a phony issue created by guys who lost badly and knew it.

The Raiders did the right thing getting Richard Seymour. They desperately need a run stopper and although they got Seymour at the last minute, he is just what the doctor ordered. But will he make a difference?

Monte Poole wrote a perceptive column in this morning's Oak Trib suggesting Seymour won't. Monte points out that Al Davis has brought in high profile guys recently and they mostly have fallen prey to the toxic Raiders culture and end up not performing well -- Randy Moss, Gibril Wilson, Javon Walker to name a few. The point is, Seymour has a lot working against him the minute he puts on a Raiders uniform. To read Monte's full column click here.

The Giants just lost, Merkin Valdez giving up a walkoff home run to Prince Fielder in the bottom of the 12th. Which brings me to two Giants I can't stand. I don't mean as people. I mean as players.

Valdez is certainly one. All he has is a fastball. It's a very fast fastball but so what. Fielder swung and missed the first fastball in his final at bat. A good pitcher would have come back with a change of speed pitch, with anything but a fastball. But Valdez only has one pitch -- at least has confidence in only one pitch, the fastball. He threw it. Fielder hit it. Game over. The Giants should not bring back Valdez next year unless he learns to pitch to big leaguers, which means getting more pitches.

The other insufferable Giant is Travis Ishikawa. Horrible hitter. Rally killer. Whenever he comes up in a key moment you know the Giants are dead. And here's the crazy thing. He looks good in the batter's box. Stands there like a real hitter. But it's a mirage. He simply can't hit. If the Giants are ever going to matter they need to find a first baseman who can hit -- not Ryan Garko. First base is one of their big problems.

This is my third blog this afternoon. I'm sitting in the press box at Memorial Stadium and there's still an hour before Cal and Maryland kick it off and I feel like communicating with Zohn readers, although I hope you have better things to do this Saturday night than read me.

I asked Herb Benenson who handles public relations for Cal if I could have a copy of their football media guide -- I already have Stanford's. Here's what Herb told me.

Cal doesn't have a media guide. I can go online and download a pdf file that contains their guide -- good luck. I used to get all the NFL guides and line them up neatly on my bookshelf. This year they're all on this thingie you put into your computer. The thingie is under an inch long.

I'm not complaining. I'm mourning. I'm mourning the loss of paper. I love paper. I love books. I love to hold a book in my hands. I love to look through a book. A pretty book is an art object and a thing of beauty. I guess what I'm saying is I'm old. To read my column on paper, media guides and me click here -- and yes I admit I'm obsessed by this topic.

Hmm, the Raiders released Jeff Garcia. I didn't expect that. So I ask myself -- why? I mean, Garcia still can play, no doubt about that. There has to be something else.

Here is my guess and remember it's hard to read the Raiders because they live behind an Iron Curtain. My gut tells me Garcia wanted out. When he came to the Raiders he said all the right things -- he would mentor JaMarcus Russell, etc. But to the media he always said, "I am not a backup."

I bet he thought he would outplay Russell and Tom Cable and Al Davis would see his wonderfulness and after a few weeks make him the starter. As time went on he probably realized that scenario NEVER would happen. The Raiders are committed to Russell. When he really understood this Garcia asked to be cut so he could wind up somewhere else. The Raiders obliged because they realized he would be trouble on the squad. So what seemed like a dream marriage ended in early divorce -- call it an annulment.

It crossed my mind the Niners might pick up Garcia. He's better than any QB they have. But to get him they'd have to dump Alex Smith -- I assume they'll keep Nate Davis. And I don't think they're ready to dump Smith. So, if he wants to play anywhere, Garcia really has to accept a backup role. I think that's called irony.

I have some issues with the aftermath of what LaGarrette Blount did. Sure, if Oregon wanted to suspend him this season, his final season, it's the university's business. What Blount did was very bad -- slugging Byron Hout with a sucker punch and then trying to get into it with fans. But I have a question and it concerns balance and fairness.

Why didn't Boise State penalize Hout? From what I understand, Hout provoked Blount. I have the feeling Hout said something offensive to Blount -- perhaps something racial. I don't know. After that Boise fans sure seemed to say provoking things to Blount which set him off all over again. Hout might have induced a riot, maybe even a race riot.

There's more. Boise had won. Part of winning is acting like a winner, winning with grace and not rubbing it into the loser. In addition, the game took place in Boise which meant Oregon was the guest. You treat guests with courtesy. Hout didn't measure up in a million ways.

Look, I'm not disputing Blount's suspension but Hout deserved to get suspended, too. Maybe two games. What do you think?

Go on the internet and watch the sucker punch Oregon's LaGarrette Blount delivered Thursday night to Boise State's Byron Hout. It's a classic of the sucker punch variety and it's a coward's way out.

Boise State had just beaten Oregon, humiliated the Ducks and Hout was taunting the Oregon players. Blount, who had a crummy game, was upset by the taunting, walked over to Hout and decked him with a right to the jaw. Hout did not see the punch coming and fell down like Sonny Liston just walloped him.

Look it was crummy for Hout to taunt anyone, was poor sportsmanship. But taunting is not the same as punching. Punching is an assault. Football players are taught NOT to listen to taunts -- in fact they trash talk each other a lot. Blount was upset because the Ducks lost and he was getting even. The Pac-10 should suspend him a few games so he can sit quietly and reflect on his actions.

Lots of people, me included, are fixated on the Giants run for the wild card. The series in Philly was tense and dramatic and it showed how good the Giants' pitching is and it showed the Giants' problem -- absolutely pathetic hitting.

So here's what I'm saying. Let's assume for the heck of it that the Giants win the wild card and get into the postseason. OK. Then things get sticky. In the postseason they will consistently face good pitching, as they did in Philly. In the postseason a team can't afford not to hit. It's one thing to get to the postseason, quite another to do well in the postseason. As interested as I am in the Giants I can't see them advancing past the first round despite their fabulous pitching. They just won't hit enough.

I've been critcizing the 49ers lately and today I want to praise them. I want to praise them for how they're handling rookie QB Nate Davis.

As you know they loused up Alex Smith when he was a rookie -- well, Mike Nolan did. And maybe they ruined Smith's career. Davis has more talent than Smith or Shaun Hill -- a much better arm -- but Mike Singletary is lowkeying it with this kid, putting no pressure on him.

I doubt Davis will play much this season if he plays at all. He may not even play for several seasons. Singletary will let him learn without pressure. At some point, if Davis works out, he very well could be the starter -- in the right time and place. The Niners are doing it the right way and Smith can only look and wonder what if. To read my column on Nate Davis click here.

I went on KNBR on Tuesday with Ralph Barbieri and Tom Tolbert, always an enjoyable experience. We talked a lot about the Giants and then moved over to Stephen Jackson's statement that he wants to get traded to a contender. I want to paraphrase my conversation with Tom on this subject. I learned from him. He is a former player and he helped me understand how players think. Thanks, Tom.

I was getting on my moral high horse and explaining how Jackson is trying to run out on the team. Tom politely stopped me and said teammates do not look at it like that -- as one guy abandoning the others. He said all players understand pro hoops is a business and they respect every player making what he thinks is the best deal for himself. He said no one grumbles about that or holds grudges. They all look out for themselves first. That's why this is professional ball (for money) as opposed to amateur. So if Jackson remains with the Warriors no harm no foul.

I kept trying. I said Jackson claims he wants to go to a contender. He should stay with the Warriors and make them a contender. Tom very politely set me straight on that one too. He said players are realistic about their abilities and Jackson is really a 2nd or 3rd option on a good team and knows it, and knows he himself cannot create a contender.

I finally said, if Jackson wants to be traded, he should not have talked to the press. He should have gone privately to Warriors management. This would have been polite. Tom agreed with that, which made me grateful -- so at least I was right about one thing.

I learned from Tom and I appreciate the time he took with me on the air.

When Michael Vick trotted onto the field in Philly last Thursday for an exhibition game, the crowd cheered. It was more than that. The Philly fans gave this guy a standing ovation.

Pardon me for raining on the parade but I don't understand why anyone would rise and clap for this man. I'm trying to understand why they did it. Did they clap because they love him? I don't think so. He's decidedly not lovable and anyway he played in Atlanta, not Philly, so these fans had no history with him.

Did they applaud because the dog killer has been rehabiliated? Maybe. But no one knows for sure if he's rehabilitated. A lot of what we see from him is carefully orchestrated damage control, Vick projecting the personality he thinks people want to see.

Did they applaud because Americans like to give a guy a break? Maybe. I don't think Vick deserves this kind of break, but I am not a fan like a regular fan and I think applauding him to give him a break is sentimental bordering on juvenile.

Anyway, I know why they applauded and it's none of the above. They applauded because Vick is a pro athlete. Put someone in a uniform and pay him millions, and will fans mindlessly applaud. In spite of all the evidence fans think these guys are special, are heroes. They even think this Vick is a hero. Good grief.

The proper response to him would have been dead stone silence.