Bay Area Sports Blog

Isn’t minor-league football just the best? Every time a team exits our collective Bay Area consciousness, a new one takes its place.

In 2008 the San Jose SaberCats played in yet another Arena Bowl before disappearing like a supernova, but 2009 gave us the UFL and the California Rockfish Redwoods. The ‘Woods moved to Sacramento but then we got the San Jose Wolves, who somehow play at the Cow Palace. We didn’t hear much about the Wolves, but it’s all good, because now the SaberCats are back. How circular is that?

The newly reformed AFL will start play in 2011 and we’re sure the Bay Area will welcome back its most successful team with open arms. The SaberCats won three Arena League titles in the darkest of days for the rest of the region’s pro franchises. Plus, you know, SaberKittens.

The Mercury News caught up with SaberCats golden boy QB Mark Grieb, and while he did say “don’t count me out,” we don’t think he’ll be bringing his short-field cannon back to San Jose.

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It’s usually not good when your sports league takes a season off for financial purposes. It looks like the Arena Football League won’t survive its little vacation and will instead declare bankruptcy and fold.

Arizona Rattlers owner Brett (not Bruce) Bouchy (not Bochy) told the Orlando Sentinel there were two camps of AFL owners, those sucking financial fumes and those ready to contribute capital. We’re guessing San Jose SaberCats owner John Fry was in the latter camp. You could say he was aaaaaaaallways (doot-doot-doot) in that camp. The SaberCats never drew less than 10,000 fans in their 14-year existence, which included three Arena Bowl victories (illustrated in our handy photo there).

If the league never comes back, the SaberCats will be following a Bay Area tradition. Like the USFL’s Oakland Invaders, the ‘Cats lost in the final game of the league’s existence. San Jose fell in Arena Bowl XXII in New Orleans. The SaberCats outscoured the Philadelphia Soul 22-13 in the final quarter and almost came all the way back but for a few questionable calls. We think. We listened to that game on the radio but can’t fully recall it.

Like the AFL itself, the game will soon totally fade into memory. Tear.

So your San Francisco Giants are officially interesting again, despite tonight’s burning of the San Francisco barn in St. Louis. Just look around the internet for proof of the Giants’ worth, because the internet will reveal everything important and meaningful in life.

Over here, Tim Lincecum is being compared to Greg Maddux! Over there, Pablo Sandoval is the Chosen (Panda)! The Giants even have a Mad Bum getting mad love! And before you get sick of exclamation marks, read this story about new starter Ryan Sadowski. He had brain surgery! Seriously! And now he wears a head-cup.

So screw Colby Rasmus, and duff your plastic cap to the Giants. They deserve it.

…Other linkage, not including the SyFy Channel, which we will continue not to watch now that it has an even dorkier name…

The Moneyball movie is not dead yet. It’s quite fine actually. Wait, is it “dorky” to quote Monty Python in a blog post? Crap. And really, this whole thing didn’t work very well because the movie is still pretty much dead, this is just a wonderful chronicle of the greater Hollywood era Moneyball represents. NY Times

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The incident last year between 49ers coach Mike Singletary and tight end Vernon Davis was apparently just an apértif. Singletary wants more disciplining, more yelling, more motivating. How else to explain this phenomenon uncovered by the Chron: Pretty much everybody the Niners drafted/signed the last two weeks has a problem. It starts with Alex Boone, the Ohio State tackle (pictured here) who has two drinking-related arrests. In one, he was jumping on car hoods like some sort of Buckeye Hulk and had to be Tasered twice. Third-round pick Glen Coffee was involved in a textbook-money scandal at Alabama. And our very own favorite Haitian, Ricky Jean-Francois, was involved in an academic scandal. Sounds like a roster of winners! On the football field, not in life. The general consensus seems to be this is good because it’s different from the choir-boy days of Mike Nolan, but it’s still stirring the 49er faithful. Headline at Niners Nation: “Should the Niners be concerned?” 49ers News: “F@&K Character“

Former 49ers defensive tackle Jimmy Webb is escaping the 49ers drama by going for a cross-country bike ride. By himself. Fun. Fresno Bee

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