Does A’s Rebuilding Plan Render Team Unwatchable?

For baseball fans invested in the won-loss record of the Oakland A’s, the 2011-2012 offseason was depressing. The team traded three former All Stars (pitchers Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey), acquired mostly prospects unfamiliar to the casual baseball fan, and basically said that winning was secondary to the franchise’s quest for a new …

New Coach, Defense and Ball Protection – Keys to 49ers’ Resurgence

In August most NFL observers believed the 49ers would be one of the teams most hurt by the NFL lockout. The conventional wisdom was that a new coaching staff would not have sufficient time to install its playbook and the team would flounder as a result. Another long year was expected for the 49er Faithful. …

Andrew Luck and Stanford Bring Rare Local College Football Focus

The Bay Area is hardly a college football hotbed. The local schools ostensibly competing for the national title, Cal and Stanford, have stringent admission standards which make it difficult to attract enough elite athletes to compete at the highest levels. And unlike places like Norman, Oklahoma and Tuscaloosa, Alabama; there are loads of professional sports …

The Higher the High, the Lower the Low – Bay Area Fans Experience a Giant Disappointment

Last season the Giants gave their fans the thrill of a lifetime by capturing the franchise’s first World Championship since its arrival in San Francisco in 1958. The victory parade on Market Street drew a crowd estimated at nearly 1,000,000 people. Fans celebrated The Freak, The Beard, The Panda, and Aubrey Huff’s rally thong. This …

Bummed Out by NBA Lockout? Sharks Can Fill Sports Void

Baseball season will end this month. Football is mainly limited to weekends. Local college basketball teams play only about twice a week. With the NBA lockout you, the dedicated sports fan and Off the Bench reader, will have plenty of spare time to fill this winter. Why not follow the team that has won more …

Is the Yankee Icon on Career Watch as Performance Starts to Fade?

It was like old times on May 8 as Derek Jeter powered the Yankees past the Texas Rangers. The 36-year-old shortstop went 4-6, hit two homeruns, drove in three runs and stole a base for what was easily his most complete and productive game in more than a year. Better yet was the game on …

Don’t Forget the A’s

Sometimes it is difficult to remember that the Bay Area has two major league baseball teams. The task of making sure we don’t forget about the team that did not win the World Series last year falls on veteran sports public relations professional Bob Rose, who has 30 years experience working for teams and leagues …

The Anatomy of (Another) Disappointment

Since 2004 the Sharks have entered the playoffs as one of the top five teams in the NHL. Every spring fans’ hopes are raised as they dream that the Sharks captain du jour (Patrick Marleau? Rob Blake? Joe Thornton?) will hoist the Stanley Cup for the traditional lap around the ice come mid June. And …

A Giants World Series Ring for Fans? Yes, If You Have an Extra $4,000 Handy!

In yet another element of their seemingly-endless World Series championship victory lap, the Giants are offering fans their very own World Series rings. Yes, any fan can have a version of the bauble that players strive for all their lives and that represents the greatest team achievement possible in baseball if they have the scratch …

Baseball Research Convention Comes to California This Summer

The last six months have been nirvana for Bay Area baseball fans. The Giants won the World Series, the championship trophy toured the region to give fans an up close look, spring training was a six week party, the World Championship banner is hanging from the flag pole, and the players received their diamond encrusted …

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