A good piece about the Warriors and Monta Ellis from Tim Kawakami

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2011/02/01/monta-ellis-positivity-statistically-hes-no-longer-making-the-warriors-much-worse/

Jim Harbaugh

The picture to the right clearly sums up 49ers fans and their feelings about the new head coach. You've heard it before, "college coaches cannot coach in the NFL". This is true; however, Harbaugh is not a college coach, he is a National Football League coach. He runs a true pro style offense that is exciting to watch and likes to run the ball. But unlike Singletary, when the defense commits, he likes to call a play action and air it out. Harbaugh is known for turning amateur quarterbacks with skills to professional quarterbacks. He worked with Josh Johnson at University of San Diego and was able to turn him into an NFL draft pick. His latest work with Andrew Luck has had critics saying Luck is the best quarterback in college football since Peyton Manning. There is no question that Harbaugh can teach quarterbacks; the exact position the 49ers need right now. But can he succeed in all aspects of the game? Harbaugh knows when the coordinators should make the calls and will let them have control at certain points. He has coached in the NFL before for a short amount of time and although he is arrogant, this arrogance only strengthens his ability to coach. In order to get him, it was a little pricey; however in the long run this move will be worth it. Look for Harbaugh to bring a new regime in the coming weeks and his imprint will be seen on this team shortly.

Looking Ahead to Next Year

The San Francisco 49ers have had a terrible, disheartening football season. Ironically, the quarterback they should have drafted, Aaron Rogers decimated the 49ers this week and pretty much ended their season. Many analysts and fans believed this team had the NFC West wrapped up before the season started. They were clearly wrong. Mike Singletary is simply not a football coach. He can motivate people; that is it. He has no knowledge of the game anymore. It is not the 80's anymore and it is a passing league. The Colts and Saints were the super bowl teams last year and they both had quarterbacks who excelled at throwing the ball down field accurately and strongly. The 49ers have a good core with Michael Crabtree, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore. Their offensive line is decent and they have good upside with Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis.

The franchise can be turned around but two things need to happen: an offensive minded coach and a quarterback that has a strong arm and can command a team. At this point, Alex Smith means nothing to this team. You can still say he never got a chance, but even with his chance it isn't going to matter. He just is not a quarterback. Troy Smith is a career backup. He holds the ball too long in the pocket and is too reliant on scrambling and throwing outside the pocket. Draft a pro style quarterback and hire an offensive coach and hopefully this franchise can return to where it used to be.

Giants win the World Series

Amazing. Unfathomable. It is incredible that they won the World Series after this crazy season. Andrew Baggarly covers it best.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2010/11/02/postgame-notes-a-landscape-changing-world-series-victory-for-the-giants-and-san-francisco-scenes-from-the-celebration-renteria-rises-to-one-final-challenge/

Giants vs. Rangers

A short preview of this series detailing who has the edge:

Pitching: Giants- Due to the success of the bullpen down the stretch and the playoffs, they have the pitching edge. The starting pitching is closer than you think, but Cain and Lincecum is a stronger 1-2 than Lee and Wilson

Hitting: Rangers- Josh Hamilton, Vladimir Guerrero, and Nelson Cruz make the Rangers lineup stronger than the Giants. The only true weak hitter on the Rangers is Bengie Molina, whereas the Giants' lineup has a variety of hitters that are inconsistent hackers.

Defense: Although the NLCS might not have showed it, the Giants are one of the top defensive teams in the National League and have been all year. UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating) is an advanced stat that determines what team is the best defensively in baseball. This year, the Giants were the second best defensive team in baseball, therefore they have the edge over the Rangers.

Prediction: I would not be surprised if either team won this series, but due to the Giants pitching, which has carried them all year, the Giants will win the World Series in 7 games

Stat of the Playoffs

Out of 7 playoff wins, the Giants have won 6 by a one run margin. Keep the Torture coming. Preview to come of the Fall Classic later this week.

Lineups NLCS Game 1

Andrew Baggarly has the lineups for the first game:

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/extrabaggs/2010/10/16/nlcs-game-1-giants-phillies-lineups/