Curry, Warriors Agree to 4-Year Contract Extension

Forget the injuries and everything else Stephen Curry has been through in his short up-and-down career thus far -- I know the Golden State Warriors have.

The Warriors and Curry agreed to a four-year contract extension on Wednesday worth $44 million, according to Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson III.

Curry, who has sustained multiple ankle injuries in the last year is clearly the Warriors' wildcard heading into the 2012-13 season that begins Wednesday for Golden State in Phoenix vs. the Suns.

#Dubs Gameday baby. And thanks to Joe Lacob & the Warriors hopefully I can say that for the next 4 yrs. agreed on extension
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) October 31, 2012

The 24-year-old averaged 14.7 ppg and 5.3 apg in 2011-12 in just 26 games played. He averages 17.1 ppg and 5.8 apg for his career.

He is expected to start vs. the Suns on opening night in Phoenix.

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San Francisco Giants' Righetti, Evans Could Be Elsewhere in 2013

The San Francisco Giants may be receiving a little added attention this offseason.

In a period of time that should see Angel Pagan get a monster deal, Marco Scutaro getting a one or two-year deal worth more now with an NLCS MVP in his pocket and Hunter Pence arbitration-eligible, Giants's management may also be facing some tough decisions.


CBS Sports' Jon Heyman tweeted on Tuesday that Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti and vice president of baseball operations Bobby Evans may get some looks from teams in their respective departments.

dave righetti should get manager offers, bobby evans should get gm offers. #SFGiants

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) October 30, 2012

While this may be some real speculation on Heyman's part, it is quite a possibility given what the two have accomplished in the past few seasons.

Righetti has consistently had one of the MLB's top rotations under under him, farming Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain and Madison Bumgarner to success and two World Series titles in three seasons.

Evans has been GM Brian Sabean's right-hand man for the past three years, taking part in picking up players like Pat Burrell, Cody Ross, Angel Pagan and Marco Scutaro on their way to those two World Series trophies.

Evans will be a bonafide MLB GM one day, but the time may not be now, especially with the Giants system set up for success in seasons to come.

Righetti's credentials stand out among the rest, but pitching coaches rarely translate to managerial succes -- although John Farrell had minor success as manager of the Blue Jays and is now the Red Sox manager.

Righetti leaving the Giants' pitching rotation after such a dominant 2012 playoffs and a bullpen that was as reliable as any in the MLB is a move we should not be expecting anytime soon.

The MLB is taking notice of the management this franchise has, but we should not be expecting any major changes with the team set up for this much success in years to come.

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49ers Video: Dashon Goldson Beheads Early Doucet

Dashon Goldson nearly killed a man on Monday night.

In the 49ers' butt-whooping of the Cardinals on national television, Goldson made a hit that could make any sports fan cringe -- although you may want to watch it once or seventeen times.


If you remember Goldson and Early Doucet have a bit of a history, after getting into an all-out fist fight on the field last season.

Goldson was tossed, and Doucet continued to play, despite throwing punches himself.

Maybe a little payback on MNF?

-- GIF --

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Report: Golden State Warriors Were Interested in James Harden

The Houston Rockets were not the only team salivating at the prospect of having James Harden on their team to start the 2012-13 NBA season.

Grantland.com's Zach Lowe is reporting that the Golden State Warriors were also involved in some minor negotiations with the Oklahoma City Thunder.


Harden was traded to the Rockets for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and a slew of bench players and first round draft picks on Sunday.

Harden was reportedly traded based on the fact he wanted a lengthy and significant contract heading forward, and the Thunder could not belly up to the bar. So they traded him, but received a decent amount of compensation in return.

Lowe speculates that since the Warriors were involved in some trade talk, or at least had some interest, they would have had to offer up Klay Thompson in return for Harden.  That appeared to quickly shut down the trade talks, as Golden State is very high on Thompson, who appears headed towards a productive NBA future.

What have we learned through this report and rampant speculation?

The Warriors are still very much looking for that one significant trade that finally lands them a big-name star, and only a few players on the roster are untouchable -- Thompson is one of them.

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49ers' New Santa Clara Stadium Promises To Be NFL's Smartest

When the San Francisco 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara opens up in 2014, the goal is not just to make it the best-looking and respected stadium in the NFL, but the smartest as well.

ESPN is reporting that the Santa Clara stadium that is expected to cost around $1.2 billion is going to be the most technologically savvy venue the sports world as ever seen.


49ers director of public relations, Bob Lange, told ESPN this:

“We’re not going to try to be the biggest and the baddest, but the smartest,” Lange said. “[We’re] planning to bring together the best of the Bay Area and Silicon Valley in the new stadium.”

“We are planning to be a stadium driven by software, not hardware,” Lange said. "The new Santa Clara stadium will not only incorporate the best hardware available but also have the ability to adapt to ever-changing technology. We look to provide our fans the opportunity to utilize their own personal devices to enhance their game-day experience. With new technology hitting the market frequently (iPads, smartphones), we want our tech infrastructure to be adaptable and our hardware to be scalable.” 

One topic Lange brought up in the interview was B.Y.O.D. (Bring Your Own Device).  Fans will be able to order food, drinks, etc. from their iPhone, iPad and any other smart device they wish to use, as long as they bring it to the game.

Of course, this is just touching the surface of this stadium's technological plan of attack, but we should be pleasantly surprised when the stadium finally opens up with all sorts of gadgets.

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San Francisco Giants' Ron Wotus Candidate For Colorado Rockies Manager

With the World Series over and the San Francisco Giants winning it all in the most fitting of fashions, Monday is Day #1 of the MLB offseason, which means the whispers of deals are heard throughout.

One whisper was actually mentioned a couple days ago, as Giants bench coach Ron Wotus has emerged as a candidate for the Colorado Rockies
manager job, according to The Denver Post's Patrick Saunders.

Jim Tracy resigned from the job earlier this month.

A few days ago, Giants GM Brian Sabean commented on the fact that Wotus has yet to receive real interest from teams about managing, and it must have worked.

Now with the MLB season over and the Giants winning the World Series, Wotus could receive and interview from the Rockies, as well as a real look from other teams as well.

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2012 World Series: Bumgarner Deals in San Francisco Giants’ Game 2 Victory

The greatest offense the MLB had to offer in 2012 has been completely shut down through the first two games of the World Series.

            They’ve been shut down not by the top pitching staff in all of baseball, but by a team whose biggest weakness heading into the World Series was arguably their starting pitching.

            A left-for-dead Barry Zito and a struggling Madison Bumgarner have sent the favored Detroit Tigers into a 2-0 hole to start the World Series.

            Bumgarner did the damage in Game 2 on Thursday night.

            After a start against the Cardinals that left many wondering whether or not he would be given the nod in the World Series, Bumgarner torched the very lethal Tigers lineup for just two hits allowed in seven innings.

            It turned out Bumgarner’s recent woes were simply mechanical, and not because of the tired and over-worked arm of a 23-year-old.

            However, with Bumgarner locked in, the Giants’ offense still needed to get to Tigers’ starter Doug Fister -- something easier said than done on Thursday night.

            Even after a line drive taken off the head, Fister did not miss a step, battling Bumgarner inning for inning and creating an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel in the World Series.

            It took a managerial misstep, in hindsight, for the either team to score their first runs of the game.

            After a Hunter Pence single off Fister to lead-off the seventh inning, Fister and his 114 pitches were relieved by Drew Smyly, who walked Brandon Belt right away to put runners at first and second base.

            Gregor Blanco’s near perfect bunt down the third base line, intended to move the runners over, stayed fair despite Miguel Cabrera, Alex Avila and Smyly’s baffled glares.

            So with the bases loaded and no outs, Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland decided to push the infield back and play for the double play -- a move that was rather American League-esque in afterthought.

            Brandon Crawford gave them what they wanted, a 4-6-3 tailor-made double play that scored Pence and gave the Giants a 1-0 lead.

            Was Leyland playing his cards right on that one?

            The defensive set-up suggested Leyland had more faith in the Tigers scoring a run in the final two innings off San Francisco’s shut-down bullpen than getting out of the seventh inning with limited damage.

            It turned out Detroit never got those runs off the Giants’ bullpen, and San Francisco’s one run was all they needed on Thursday night to secure the win, 2-0.

            The Giants did add another run of insurance in the eighth inning off a Pence sacrifice fly to score Angel Pagan, but Leyland seemed to miss the importance of every pitch and every run in the World Series with that play in the seventh inning -- a play the Tigers may look back on and regret wholeheartedly.

            And so the Giants head on the road to Detroit with a 2-0 series lead and a rather high success rate on the road.

Their most recent roadtrip supplied them with a Zito gem and all the momentum in the world to sweep the Cardinals at home in the NLCS.

            The roadtrip before that supplied them with three straight wins over the Reds to advance to the NLCS.

            The Giants thrive on the road, based on the fact any ballpark is bigger than AT&T Park, and the simple peace and calm they get from being on their own at the home team’s venue.

            Even more, the Giants’ undoubted best pitcher Ryan Vogelsong will be on the mound, coming off a two-win performance in the NLCS.

            Detroit has their hands full with the Giants in the World Series at the moment, and it will take all the body mass in their lineup to stop the Giants’ freight train in their tracks the rest of this series.

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2012 World Series: Sandoval in the Zone in San Francisco Giants’ Game 1 Win

            In a strange way, the San Francisco Giants shocked the world on Wednesday night.

            They took Game 1 of the World Series, and proved a lot of critics, analysts and experts wrong in the process.

            The storyline centered on the based god Justin Verlander?

            Non-existent.

            However, Pablo Sandoval was very much existent -- approaching Babe Ruth status with three home runs, two of which were off probable Cy Young winner Verlander.

            The Giants played Wednesday night’s Game 1 exactly how they needed to. No one expected them to win with Verlander on the mound and a week lineup to boot in a pitcher’s ballpark. Yet, San Francisco got the job done 8-3, taking a 1-0 series lead.

            They played without expectations, and it led to a win vs. Verlander -- something that was not supposed to happen.

            Too many storylines to count?

            Tim Lincecum utterly dominated in relief, and Marco Scutaro continued his dominance at the plate with a 2-for-4, two-RBI night

            But we have to think the baseball looked like a beach ball to Sandoval in Game 1. He was swinging with absolute authority, doing things we rarely saw him do during the regular season.

            Sandoval took full advantage of the fastballs thrown, a pitch the Tigers had to think was in their advantage on the Giants No. 3 hitter entering Game 1.

            Verlander hitting 95-98 MPH on the gun, and Sandoval getting the bat around on it?

            Fat chance.

Sandoval going with the outside pitch and not allowing himself to try to pull the ball?

            Get real.

Sandoval staying back on pitches and driving them with authority?

            A rarity.

            Whatever the scouting report said about Sandoval prior to Game 1, throw it out the window. At this point, it no longer matters because it is hard to stop a player of Sandoval’s caliber when he is in the zone.

            Sandoval was in that zone on Wednesday night to the point where we were throwing his name around with the likes Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth.

            While Sandoval will grab the majority of the attention in the aftermath of Game 1, it was hard not to notice Barry Zito slicing and dicing his way through the Tigers’ lineup.

            Had Zito only gone four innings, while holding the absolutely stacked Detroit lineup to less than three runs, it would have been a major success.

            Instead, he threw 5.2 innings and allowed just one run on six hits.

            Better yet, he kept the Tigers’ No. 3, 4, 5 and 6 hitters (Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Delmon Young and Jhonny Peralta) at bay.

            Make that 14 straight victories for the Giants when Zito is on the mound, and all the confidence in the world when he presumably starts Game 5.

            The bottom line: The Tigers with Verlander on the mound thought they would be heading into Game 2 with a win. That did not happen, and Detroit is now behind the eight ball where Game 2 becomes arguably a must-win game.

            

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Berkman Calls Hunter Pence Broken Bat Hit 'Illegal,' Thinks Tigers Will Win World Series

Mark this one under "bitter player on the losing team."

After the St. Louis Cardinals were defeated for the third straight game in a row on their way to giving up a World Series birth, injured Cardinal Lance Berkman shared his thoughts on Hunter Pence's all-out strange base hit past shortstop Pete Kozma on Monday night.


Berkman called the hit "illegal," according to Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci.

Rule 6.05 (h) clearly states that a ball cannot hit a hitter's bat twice -- Pence's bat hit the ball three times.

Verducci cites the vagueness of the rule, which makes the fact that Pence's bat splintered and did not break a legal hit.  The rule states "a part" of the bat that flies off may not hit the ball again. It says nothing about a part of the bat that is still connected to the rest of the bat -- yet splintered -- hitting the ball again.

Honestly, it really did not matter.  Pence's base hit scored two runs, as well as another run on a Jon Jay error in center field to make the game 5-0. The Cardinals still would have had to score runs to make their Pence rule dispute even close to stomachable for the MLB -- that never happened.

Berkman did not leave without giving the public his stone-cold lock for the World Series -- the Detroit Tigers.

I suggest throwing all your money down on that one.......

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2012 World Series: Exploring the San Francisco Giants’ DH Possibilities

Through grit and determination the San Francisco Giants are headed to the World Series, although those two characteristics could easily be replaced with luck and sheer magic that every World Series contender holds this time of year.

The Giants pulled a rabbit out of a hat not once, not twice, but six times in these playoffs -- facing elimination for the sixth time on Monday night vs. St. Louis in Game 7.

Now, they enter the World Series for the second time in three years. 

In 2010, it was all about the misfit group of players destined for a World Series victory. In 2012, while the team may not be a band of misfits anymore, they still carry the same scrappiness and destiny-driven persona with them.

Barry Zito starting Game 1 of the World Series?

You were lying.

With the starting rotation out of the way for Bruce Bochy and his coaching staff in the order of Barry Zito, Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Matt Cain, decisions must now be made in the lineup.

Aubrey Huff has contributed nearly nothing to this team thus far, despite the desperate attempts the Giants have made to rekindle some of his 2010 magic. It would not be a surprise to see Huff be replaced with Eli Whiteside on the roster -- another catcher that could backup Buster Posey and Hector Sanchez, especially with the DH situation looming in Games 3, 4 and 5.

For now, we can safely assume that Joaquin Arias will be playing third base in Game 3, with Pablo Sandoval holding down the DH duties. You never know what you get with Sandoval at third base. He has the potential for a diving stab at a ball down the line, but he also has the potential for throwing the ball in the dirt to first base on a routine ground ball.

However, there are several other options Bochy has for the DH spot in the lineup vs. the Tigers.

It is safe to say that Posey will be doing the catching throughout the entirety of the series, making Hector Sanchez’s probability behind the plate extremely low -- especially with Tim Lincecum sentenced to the bullpen. We could see Sanchez at the DH spot, but only if the Giants add Whiteside to the World Series roster. Using Sanchez and Posey in the lineup at the same time would make Sandoval the backup catcher, and Bochy cannot afford that.

Another option would be Xavier Nady, who has had relative success as a Giant.  He did pretty much lose the left fielder’s job to Gregor Blanco, but he could be useful as a bigger bat in the lineup than what Arias can supply.

This is obviously Bochy’s second choice, and it all depends on how Arias does in the first couple of games at the plate that decides whether he attempts to switch his lineup in the middle of the series.

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Brian Sabean Brushes Off Tim Lincecum Trade Rumors

Tim Lincecum will not be traded during the offseason, according to GM Brian Sabean.

The talk got started after an article by the Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo speculated that Lincecum would be traded by the San Francisco Giants.

"He will be available in trade, and it will be interesting to see who bites on the two-time Cy Young winner. The Giants insist his problems this season were strictly mechanical, but opposing teams wonder why his usual 96-mile-per-hour fastball was around 92 most of the season, and why his first-inning problems (28 runs) were the worst in baseball. Lincecum, 28, is due $22 million in the final year of his contract. Would someone take the gamble?"

Pure speculation, if you're asking me, but credit the San Francisco Chronicle's John Shea with at least asking Sabean the question.

And his answer.......

“Timmy’s going to be a Giant,” Sabean said.

On whether he sees Lincecum improving in next year’s rotation. Sabean said, “I think so. He set the bar so high. We set the bar so high with him. He’s got to learn what it’s like to be knocked down. He hasn’t experienced anything like this. College, minor leagues, major leagues. It’ll be interesting how he turns this around. He knows what he has to do.”

Is it a situation similar to 2010 when Lincecum turned around his game from August to September?

“No, this is more of a function of willing to accept the delivery he’s going to use to be a successful pitcher. He’s going to have to pitch more to contact. No matter what his strikeout ratio is, he’s not going to miss as many at-bats.”

So it’s more about mechanics than bulking up?

“A lot of it is the delivery. The better the delivery, the better the arm action, the better the ability to make quality pitches with pitch to pitch control.”

Whether Lincecum is going to be in the bullpen next year may have been the better question, but that will not be asked until probably spring training of next season -- not before Game 7 of the NLCS.

Lincecum still has $22 million coming his way next season, and is just 28-years old.

However, his 10-15 record, with a 5.18 ERA in 2012 -- including his poor performance in Game 4 of the NLCS -- has lent itself to some major concern in San Francisco.

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49ers: Pete Carroll Responds to Jim Harbaugh's Complaints to NFL

Following the 49ers' 13-6 win over NFC West rival Seattle on Thursday, Jim Harbaugh was not happy about the aggressiveness of the Seahawks' coverage in the secondary.

He went as far as to complain to the NFL about it.

Harbaugh claimed cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner were maybe a little too physical with his wide receivers.


Sherman actually played for Harbaugh at Stanford, where the head coach suspended Sherman for one game after he was issued a personal foul during the season.

Carroll responded with these quotes to ESPN on Monday:

"I don't think a guy should be able to speak out and go ahead and cause an investigation," he told ESPN Seattle on Monday. "That's too easy. I don't think that's going to happen.

"... Wasn't it just a couple week ago, when (the 49ers) were talking about not doing things like that, with the Giants or Kevin Gilbride or something like that," Carroll said. "I thought there was something about that, where we don't go out and express our concerns at all."

"I think that this was a very normal game ... in terms of how we played," Carroll said. "I'm surprised that (Harbaugh) felt like the receivers were so overwhelmed. I thought our guys did a good job. There's always going to be some calls that you can look at, but our guys played good, solid, hard football. Vernon Davis didn't get the ball and their receivers didn't do much, and Randy (Moss) got one, so I'm sure there's a little frustration there.

"If the officials look at it, they won't have anything to even look at, and I don't even think they need to. It's a regular game."

Seahawks wide receiver, and another Harbaugh-coached player at Stanford took to Twitter with his reaction:

Jim said Sherm and BB were playing too rough. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaaahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

— Dbfresh (@DougBaldwinJr) October 20, 2012

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NBA Votes Klay Thompson 'Most Likely to Have Breakout Season'

Klay Thompson is the likeliest player to have a breakout season in 2012-13, according to NBA GMs.

Thompson received 13.3% of the votes, while Kyrie Irving and Kawhi Leonard each received 10% of the votes.

Last season, James Harden was given the preseason honor after receiving 21.4% of the vote.


He averaged 16.8 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game and 3.7 assists per game last season for Oklahoma City.

Thompson averaged 12.5 points per game in his rookie year for Golden State.

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Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry Tweets "Ankle Will Be Fine"

Stephen Curry hurt his ankle again last night in a preseason game that saw him miss the second half.

Curry dove for a ball amid a scrum vs. Portland and had his ankle rolled over by one of the players involved. However, Curry tweeted that he is doing fine.

Ankle will be fine. Freak play. But Good win tonight...now on the way to LA.

— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) October 20, 2012

He played in only 26 games last season due to ankle injuries, but Curry and the Warriors have guaranteed that both ankles are 100 percent healthy heading into the season.

Curry's health, as well as newcomer Andrew Bogut's, is an essential part of the Warrior's success this season.  The team is dedicated to defense and rebounding, and we know they can score, but health is a major wildcard.

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Stephen Curry Injures Ankle .... Again .... in Golden State Warriors Preseason Game

Stop me when you have heard this before.

Stephen Curry hurt his .......

Too easy.

Curry rolled his surgically repaired ankle in a preseason game on Friday night in Portland and did not return.

He played in just 26 games last season because of the fragile ankles his career has seemed to be plagued with.

Read the full story at CSNBayArea.com

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San Jose Sharks Take To Twitter Explaining Reality of NHL Lockout

If you have not noticed, the players are not happy with the current situation of the NHL lockout.

With commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL offering the NHLPA a 50/50 revenue split on Wednesday, the concern turned to the players and why they had not accepted an offer they have stood by for the entirety of the whole ordeal.

Ryane Clowe and Logan Couture were quick to explain the reality of the situation via Twitter Thursday.

Players will take the leagues 50/50 split all we want is to honor contacts already negotiated and signed. Players took two days to review

— Ryane Clowe (@ryaneclowe29) October 18, 2012

NHL proposal andBettman/owners take 10 minutes to review 3 of our legit proposals today

— Ryane Clowe (@ryaneclowe29) October 18, 2012

Bettman/Owners have a date when they want hockey to played again and until then fans and players have to wait and listen to there web of BS

— Ryane Clowe (@ryaneclowe29) October 18, 2012

When I reference owners in my tweets it's referring to 6-8 owners

— Ryane Clowe (@ryaneclowe29) October 18, 2012

For people hating on the players saying take 50/50 it's fair..we offered that, as long as current contracts are honored. Fair. Gary says no

— Logan Couture (@Logancouture) October 18, 2012

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