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The Oakland Raiders shuffled through the University of Southern California’s coaches, selecting 31-year-old Lane Kiffin, the Trojans offensive coordinator Monday night.
The Raiders had originally coveted his colleague, Steve Sarkisian, but Sarkisian pulled out of the running when the Raiders failed to reach a deal in principle.
Kiffin will be the Silver and Black’s 16th head coach and youngest one ever. He’s also younger than 9 of the Raiders’ players from this season.
The 31-year-old has been credited as being an offensive guru, making him an interesting catch for Raiders owner Al Davis, who is looking to pump some life into the league’s worst offense.
The idea of the making changes to the Golden State Warriors is always enticing, and it’s no wonder the reasoning behind yesterday’s trade with the Indiana Pacers followed the next logical step for Chris Mullin.
Troy Murphy was a worthy catch for a team struggling to get out of its ’90s rut. With a career of 11.2 points a game and 8.2 rebounds, he defined the attributes of a role player. He was just getting paid like a star at $7.36 million this season.
Both Murphy and Mike Dunleavy had an expected price tag of more than $100 million still due to them, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Dunleavy being the bust of the two, struggled for his entire career to fill a role player’s position at small forward in which Jason Richardson and Michael Pietrus essentially robbed minutes from him.
They both will be searching for real estate in Indiana and in return the Warriors will get mired star Stephen Jackson and previously sought forward Al Harrington. Upgrades in the swingmen variety at a lower price.
It’s a price the Warriors are willing to pay, which the only thing left on the table in question marks is team chemistry, if anything.
Imagine having a coach like Don Nelson expecting you to be some sort of hybrid player every other night. Sure, the stakes are stacked against you to succeed, but you’ve been given years backed with contract dollars to deal with it. So you mold yourself to mesh with the squad. You know, do whatever’s best for the team. But whatever you do is not enough. This move gives Murphy and Dunleavy an out and a chance to own up to the dollars behind their names.
Throw in Ike Diogu, which is the most perplexing of the trade pieces, and the Warriors have given up what has been key pieces of its team for the last four years.
For Jackson, the change of scenery may create a fresh start after spats with coach Rick Carlisle, constant reminders of the Detroit brawl and personal legal troubles, according to the Associated Press. Harrington gets a chance to produce in the low blocks, something the Warriors have been lacking.
All the while, Chris Mullin, a former player with the Warriors and Pacers, walks away with probably the smartest move he has made as the Warriors’ president. Clearing cap space, house and generally making moves to prove the franchise is dedicated to bettering itself, which should be a plus in the eyes of all Warriors fans. Which, by the way, was the only move he could make to better the team. The question was whether he could pull the trigger.
Up next, dealing with Adonal Foyle’s hefty contract ($7.32 million this season).
The backlash against Mark Sweeney is idiotic. As far as the general public knows, he hasn’t been tested positive of any enhancers or etc. But with as many what-ifs going around as illegal syringes with ambiguous pills, it was going to happen sooner than later that somebody innocent got thrown in the fracas.
Again, I blame Bonds.
Here’s a video tribute to him from Youtube. If you can’t see it here go to the Web site.
But then, I looked at the time line of events in the so-called steroids era. The book, “Game of Shadows.” The feisty, defensive attitude you’ve had with reporters. The reproach you’ve caused in your own locker room. Your ex-trainer going to jail rather than testifying against you. And now, with this incident, you allegedly throwing your teammate under a bus saying you took drugs from his locker.
I don’t want to believe any of it - truly. But the evidence is leading me in another direction.
Barry, I don’t follow my gut. I follow the evidence. I see, even from a distance, the attitude change. I’m seeing through the hype, that maybe, just maybe, you might be embarrassed of what you’ve done. I see the ongoing investigation into your possible perjury of unknowingly taking drugs (which you still haven’t been punished for). I also see the change in your physique, something which I’ve dismissed because of your age.
But as the evidence mounts, the investigation continues and the stories / rumors spread, I wonder when you will step up and be open about your life.
Barry, I know you don’t live in a hole. You know Mark McGwire was not inducted into the Hall of Fame yesterday. You know that he received nowhere near the percentage points needed to clear the hurdle of shame from his grand jury testimony. McGwire’s provincial, “I’m not here to talk about the past,” quote is undoubtedly the precursor to this steroids mess. And here you are, either being libeled again or well investigated by reporters.
This all started with a trek to glory, chasing Willie Mays, the Babe and Henry “Hank” Aaron, as you’ve said. But Barry, there is no glory in cheating. If you’ve cheated, and I mean by using steroids knowingly, you need to come clean. There is no getting into the HOF with your present track record. Baseball needs healing, and you’re the cure from what I can tell.
Step away from the game, step away from the San Francisco Giants and step away from this trek at the record. It will only taint the game when the evidence comes out fully and says you lied. Then, and only then, will baseball heal and America will be able to look at the one-time hero known as Barry Bonds as a truthful, prideful man who made a mistake. I’ll take that ending over the one the Feds are planning. Wouldn’t you?
Let’s rehash once again: No DNA evidence linking the players to said victim. Unreliable time stamp (thanks to the accuser’s latest account of the incident). An unreliable witness (the second said stripper), who possibly has motives of her own, according to the Johnsville News blog. A possibly criminal District Attorney, who gained political capital pursuing this case. And finally, an unrelenting sentiment that without rape charges still filed against the accused, the case is in shambles.
As it stands, three men are still accused of kidnapping and sexual misconduct. Somebody in the state of North Carolina has to be asking for this to be over. Why not let somebody else take the lead instead of Mike Nifong, who clearly has lost control of any political credibility he has.
This case, regardless if it goes forward, will forever tarnish the image of a few men, the said victim and Nifong. But what clearly can be taken from this case, is that caution was needed in response to the accusations. There was never any caution.
A review of policy may come from this debacle in the long run.
Only 23.5 percent believed, or rather didn’t care for Mark McGwire’s testimony in 2005.
The majority has concluded that he is not deserving of the Hall of Fame in his first go-round. Decidedly, it is the same fate for bash brother Jose Canseco.
Baseball writers/voters of America have become the judge, jury and executioner. They held McGwire up to the light, poked some holes in him, and then quickly deflated the once proud slugger who mesmerized us all in 1998.
McGwire is the bastard of the steroids era, who undoubtedly embarrassed himself in his testimony, and turned legions of fans against him. It’s no wonder that he will not join Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn in the hall.
I can honestly say, this Hall of Fame induction was the first for the generation of players I grew up watching. I remember McGwire when he was on the A’s fondly. I remember Tony Gwynn, and the many games he frustrated the San Francisco Giants, and I remember Cal Ripken and his year long farewell.
But I can’t forget the context in which McGwire has achieved his fame and notoriety, which others have so fairly stayed away from. McGwire, is undoubtedly the first of the steroid era that had a chance to get in the Hall of Fame. Therefore, he is likely the precursor of how voters will recognize other athletes mired in the same cloak.
Shawn Merriman comes to mind. The NFL seems to have short-term memories, but as Major leagues sports have tried to teach fans, cheating is cheating and the punishment is often worse than the benefits. In the sports world, that would be taking away their glory.
Pete Rose anyone? Don’t forget to include Barry Bonds, Rafael Palmeiro and the rest of the acne pack.
And the same fate should go for Bonds. That’s right, I’m calling it. In five years, I’ll be writing about how Bonds wasn’t snubbed, but how he got what he deserved. You heard it here first.
After O.J. Simpson went to trial for the deaths of his ex-wife and her boyfriend, his high school in San Francisco (Galileo, the same one I went to), renamed the football field which was named after him. The administration did it to separate the school’s image from what was going on in O.J.’s life.
Maybe the city of St. Louis will finally feel the need to do figure out if they’re gonna keep that highway named after McGwire, a tragedy for the department of public transportation and millions of baseball fans. But I’m sure it’ll only take one more denial in the hall before they get a clue.
Net Suite chief executive Zachary Nelson always wanted to work with Beane, particularly after the book Moneyball came out. The book details how Beane, who works on one of the slimmer budgets in Major League Baseball, has put to use several formulas for finding the best talent for the cheapest buck.
I guess Beane doesn’t have enough to do already. You know, besides losing one of his best pitchers, ushering in a new skipper, and working for two other boards.
With all the money he’s pulling in, I feel like I should read Moneyball.
Special teams coordinator Larry Mac Duff has taken on the position as assistant head coach (among other responsibilities) at the University of Texas, according to the Associated Press.
He’s only the second coach to either leave or be fired from the 49ers staff since the end of the season.
Let us not forget the 2-14 season he brought the Raider Nation and his unequivocally stoned faces.
But at greater issue here is not whether Shell should have bite the dust, but whether or not Davis has a clear plan to follow in the aftermath of the Raiders worst season ever.
The Raiders have now changed coaches three times in the past four years. The last coach to have any longevity past three seasons is Jon Gruden, currently coaching at the Tampa Bay Buccanneers.
What also should be noted is the Raiders record since the 2002 Superbowl in which Rich Gannon completely imploded in his MVP season. The Raiders are 15-49 since that game and cannot seem to stop the bleeding.
After pulling the leash short on Bill Callahan (4-12 in 2002-2003) and running Norv Turner across the Bay (9-23 in two seasons), Davis has got to wonder if it’s the players or the coaches that are doing him dirty.
On the very same day as this announcement, Bill Cowher stepped down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. That was after his 15th season at the helm, a comfort no coach but Joe Paterno knows.
Can Davis get a hint that good coaches develop good teams, rather than slap them together. It takes seasons (plural people) to lay the foundation Davis wants, but isn’t up for.
The ridiculous ideology that there are a surplus of quick-fix coaches who just happen to be assistants on playoff teams or in bowl games is ignorant, and furthermore detrimental to the game. Davis exemplifies this ignorance with his decision making. Yet, he is not alone.
Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys was going through the same faze before he picked up Bill Parcells. The Cowboys featured a different coach every two years for a while. Now, Big D is happy, and Jones is hesitant to make changes without asking the Tuna first.
Davis needs to find his Tuna and then find happiness because there is going to be ups and downs in every season. But that doesn’t mean you axe the coach on a bad one. I’m sure he wishes he had Jon Gruden back and I’m sure he wishes he hadn’t fired Shell the first time. But the road to hell is laid with good intentions and Davis is driving in the fast lane.
“Just win, baby.” That’s all he wants and that’s all that’s the problem here.
One thing can be said of Shell’s dismissal / resigining, at least Davis talked to him face to face this time. Last time was worse.
Defensive coordinator Billy Davis gets the axe, after the San Francisco 49ers finished 7-9 on the season in which its defense yielded 412 points - tops in the NFL.
No word yet on who the next-to-be man for the guillotine is, but I sure hope he has juevos to deal with the heat. A coordinator has been fired by the 49ers for the past three seasons.
The Oakland Raiders shuffled through the University of Southern California’s coaches, selecting 31-year-old Lane Kiffin, the Trojans offensive coordinator Monday night.
Only 23.5 percent believed, or rather didn’t care for Mark McGwire’s testimony in 2005.
Oakland Raiders coach Art Shell assessed himself, I’m pretty sure Al Davis assessed him too, 
