San Francisco Giants Speculation: Tim Lincecum Trade Possible

The words "sizable gap" were scattered around the baseball world this past week when it came to the San Francisco Giants and Tim Lincecum.

Those are definitely not the words Giants fans want to hear when talking about their team in contract talks with their pride and joy, long-haired magician on the mound.

Reportedly, the Giants offered Lincecum $80 million for four years over the summer, and that offer has been upped in recent weeks. However, Lincecum has been adamant in his stance on wanting an eight-year contract and getting paid. It would be the first substantial payday of his MLB career, after making just $650,000 per year the first four years and a little over $11 million per year since these past two.

Lincecum, who will be a free agent after the 2013 season, reportedly wants loyalty in the form of a large sum of money for a large number of years, and it seems it does not necessarily have to be from the Giants.

The last time San Francisco gave a big-time contract to a pitcher was Barry Zito for seven years and $126 million. You can understand the hesitation of the Giants' part.

But Lincecum is different, right?

A two-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion has to mean something to the Giants franchise. However, a contract like Zito's sticks with a ballclub, the general manager that made it and the fanbase surrounding it, no matter how different these players are.

The problem here is not the eight years, although that number is large for a 5'10", 165 lbs. pitcher with an unorthodox motion to the plate. The problem is the risk of failure, and given the information in the previous sentence, that risk may be growing higher every year they give Lincecum that paycheck.

With that said, eight years is a large risk for a GM like Sabean, who still wears the $18 million per year to Zito, and the Giants franchise that cannot afford to miss or risk setting their ballclub back several years.

In any case, this potentially leaves the Giants with two options if eight years is too much: Trade Lincecum or hope he agrees to accept short-term deals of no more than two years.

The trade could give the Giants much-needed prospects or much-needed hitters, and the short-term deal could buy both Lincecum and the Giants time, as well as involve less risk for the franchise.

Who knows what the most likely scenario is now?

For the Giants, a trade may be the safest.

It rids the Giants of a very possible plunge if Lincecum goes down with injury, which many baseball minds believe could happen any season now given his calculated, yet unorthodox, motion to the plate and including his small, yet powerful, frame. Baseball scouts say it does not add up, and an eight-year contract may lead the Giants' decision-makers to think the same.

You give an eight-year contract to a fully-built workhorse, not a small-framed pothead, right?

San Francisco has a decision to make between Lincecum and fellow starter Matt Cain. Do they sign one or both?

Lincecum's recent actions may have them leaning towards settling for Cain and risking less by potentially acquiring more and dealing Lincecum this season.

Read More

San Jose Sharks: The Best Way To Replace Martin Havlat is to Not

Martin Havlat, the speed and offensive skill the San Jose Sharks traded for during the offseason, is out for good portion of the upcoming few months. As far as we know, he will be sidelined 6-8 weeks, but we can bet on the 2 month range looking like a probable timetable for his return.

That likely return will take us to just about the end of February 2012 and leave around a month and a half left in the season for the Sharks.

With the team already struggling in several aspects of their game so far this season, it is only fitting that trade rumors surface in order to salvage a possible Western Conference playoff run.

That is what happens when Doug Wilson is your GM, though. His flair for the timely trade has become standard around San Jose, but this season may be the most important for him to come through in the clutch.

However, does this team really need to make a key acquisition right now if they are to make a real push in the Western Conference playoffs?

Losing Havlat is a blow, but overreaction may be even worse, which is why Wilson needs to take a step back for the moment and wait until the trade deadline to acquire that talent needed for a deep playoff run.

The reason for the wait is the team is used to running without Havlat. His absence from the team has been more of a distraction than his actual unimpressive play on the ice so far this season.

Wilson, given his reputation and long list of acquisitions in the Sharks' organization, should understand what a player's worth is. This far into the season, that is tough to judge.

Make no mistake, San Jose's main trade bait is goalie Antero Niittymaki, who recently returned from injury and replaced Thomas Greiss as the second-string netminder on the team, despite Greiss's respectable play behind starter Antti Niemi. Many teams are looking for a goalie and they will be calling Wilson come the trade deadline.

That time would become Niittymaki's highest value period, where teams need the goalie and Wilson can make his play for who he wants on that opposing team. Right now, although the team can use a healthy body whose name provides a bigger boost than Benn Ferriero, the Sharks need to wait and accept the "winger by committee" that is presumed to occur over the next couple months for the Sharks.

Wilson will make a significant trade this season, and it will most likely have Niittymaki's name in it, but now is the time to form chemistry with this team that includes Ferriero (the best option at winger they have) and whoever else coach Todd McLellan decides to light a fire under. Havlat will be back and he will be affective, but making a drastic trade so early in the season is nowhere near where Wilson is or should be leaning right now.

Read More

Golden State Warriors: The Difference This Season

It has not been the easiest start to the 2011-12 NBA season for the Golden State Warriors. Three games in four nights, and all of them against teams penciled into the NBA playoffs before the season began.

However, Golden State played tough in a loss against a hyped Los Angeles Clippers team on Christmas night, then dominated both the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks -- two Eastern Conference powerhouses.

So what do we make of this Warriors team led by Mark Jackson, Mike Malone and Monta Ellis so far?

They're not bad, to start.

In fact, we can argue the Warriors are one of the better teams in the NBA by how well they have played through the first three games of the season. Of course, they have not left Oracle Arena yet, so there is still a little left undiscovered.

What we do know is that this team can contend with the best. They are doing that by playing improved defense, the traditional electric offense and, most of all, a bench filled with depth.

The depth on the bench is the reason Golden State is a thrill to watch thus far and the difference in how they play on the court compared to recent seasons.

No more Vladimir Radmanovich, Jeremy Lin or Acie Law. Give me Dominic McGuire, Brandon Rush and Kwame Brown.

In the past, we saw the "filler roles" they put into the hands of Radmanovich or "insert player name here." Joe Lacob, Mark Jackson & Co. are acquiring players with meaning, not just players to fill a few minutes before Ellis and Curry get their breaths back.

McGuire shut down Carmelo Anthony on Wednesday night, Rush put up 19 points against the Knicks in just 26 minutes and Kwame Brown put up respectable rebounding numbers against both Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah.

Yes.....Brown. For how many people were shouting down that acquisition, he is still 6'11" and 270 pounds. I am pretty sure the Warriors can find a role for him.

And Brown is exactly what this Golden State team is all about so far: Players with a specialty and succeeding in that respective part of the game.

Brown rebounds, McGuire guards the prototypical 6'7"-6'9" small forward, Ish Smith plays for his next contract and Rush can score.

Leave everything else up to the starters, who are fulfilling their roles, as well. But the sole reason the Warriors have been impressive thus far this season is because they can rely on their bench to produce when called upon.

It is a luxury Golden State has not had in awhile, and it is thanks to careful planning and managing from the Warriors' front office that has the team from Oakland looking ahead to bigger and better things in 2012.

Read More

Report: Oakland A's Granted Permission by MLB to Move to San Jose

Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted this morning that the MLB is very much leaning towards allowing the Oakland A's to move to San Jose, overriding the San Francisco Giants' territorial rights to Santa Clara County that the team has had since the 1990's.

This is the potential first step of a two-step program in getting the A's to San Jose, as the team reportedly prefers.

Mayor of Oakland, Jean Quan, is adamant in her stance to keep the A's - and the Warriors for that matter - in Oakland, and even went as far as to propose a location for a future A's ballpark near Jack London Square along the water.

The City of San Jose has made great strides in securing a professional sports team in their city over the past few years. They bought land in downtown San Jose for over $25 million, and have offered it to the A's for just under $7 million - obviously settling for a loss now in return for a substantial gain in the future. This has caused an uproar among some groups in San Jose, which created several Anti-A's Ballpark movements in the city.

With the MLB reportedly allowing the A's to move to San Jose, the last step is a city vote of whether or not the area would like a professional baseball team.

The MLB's announcement of approval is set for February 2012, which should set up the San Jose vote for early Summer 2012.

Read More

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks Preview & Prediction

If you claimed at the beginning of the season that going into Week 16 the NFC West would be one of the more hotter and potentially dangerous divisions in the NFL, someone would have slapped some sense into you several times over. However, the 49ers, Seahawks and Cardinals are arguably on the NFL's list of teams playing the best football around.

Both Seattle and Arizona have won five of their last six games heading into Week 16, and both are sitting at 7-7 on the season. In any other year in the NFC West, this record would have been leading to a division title. Then again, who saw San Francisco going 11-3 and meandering into a first round bye?

Not you.

So the Week 16 match-up between the 49ers and Seahawks suddenly becomes interesting, as the red hot Cardinals knocked off the 49ers two weeks ago, and equally hot, if not hotter, Seattle may pose an even more potent threat to the 49ers' chances of that first round bye.

Out of nowhere, the Seahawks have a good running game, young and talented defense and a quarterback that is managing a pretty decent game these days.

Well done, Pete Carroll?

However, the best thing about this 49ers' team is the fact that while previewing these games, we can always count on one thing: San Francisco's opponent will not be able to run the ball.

It is near a fact these days.

Also, for every young and talented defensive player Seattle seems to boast these days, San Francisco has two....and Aldon Smith.

The 49ers/Seahawks clash in Seattle will be as physical a test as San Francisco has seen all season. Add in that Seattle's stadium is the loudest the NFL has to offer, and we have a real even match-up on our hands.

X-Factor

Both Tarvaris Jackson and Alex Smith will manage the game effectively, as has been the case over the last few weeks. The same goes for Frank Gore and Marshawn Lynch, who will both be held severely in check in this week's game. But the game will ultimately come down to the defense, most notably the game of turnovers.

Both defenses can create turnovers, and it will be the defense that creates the most that will win this game. The noise created in the stadium will be huge for the Seattle defense and should create more opportunities for them. However, San Francisco's relentless pressure at the quarterback is always a turnover threat these days.

Prediction

With the game ultimately coming down to the defenses, it would be fitting to suggest that the game equally holds its own on field position. No team in the NFL is better at creating the field position game better than the 49ers, and with a presumedly low-scoring fest, we should see Andy Lee win another Special Teams Players of the Week Award.

49ers win 20-13

Read More

5 New Year's Resolutions for the San Jose Sharks

For what it is worth, the San Jose Sharks 2011-12 season has not gone according to plan, to say the least. New players and lousy play in many aspects of the game have caused inconsistency in the win column for a team that was supposed to breeze through another regular season unscathed.

However, the missing pieces that seemed to fit the proverbial puzzle have not paid as many dividends as, say, the Minnesota Wild, who are currently one of the best teams in the Western Conference.

Laxidasical special teams play may be the biggest weakness of the Sharks this season, an aspect of their game that many teams have preyed on throughout thus far, yet San Jose's record of 17-10-3 seems just about right for how they have played. But still not up to par in comparison to the tradition of above average regular season play.

The Sharks have a lot of work to do and the new year should be just what they need in terms of advancing their game to the next level and preparing for the Western Conference playoffs.

Here are five New Year's resolutions for the San Jose Sharks.



5. Better Penalty Kill

We will knock out the easy one first and there is not much more to say than the Sharks' penalty kill is terrible. At times, it can be durable, but the majority of this season has been spent on figuring out what is and is not working when down a player. Most of the time, nothing has been working.

Puck awareness can be partly blamed for the NHL's 29th ranked penalty kill, although that is such a generic term to sum up awful efforts on the defensive end this season. The Sharks have stopped the opposing team's power play 73% of the time this season. Simply not good enough.



4. The Big Guns

Take a look at the Sharks' team leaders in each statistical category this season and you may not find Patrick Marleau atop any of them. Marleau has been simply average this season, something he is not and should not be.

What you will find is decent numbers from a list of decent players.

Joe Thornton's numbers are the only ones that may ignite awe from some people. 6 goals and 20 assists, while leading the team in points is a feat for Thornton, but not many come close after him.

The numbers are just mediocre from a team that is so much more and needs to prove that going forward.



3. More Consistent Power Play

Unfortunately for the Sharks, their awful penalty kill has not been saved by a historically good power play this season. The Sharks currently rank 13th in power play conversions at 17.9%.

The days of Thornton, Marleau and Heatley are over, and with it the thoughts of drawing a penalty leading to an automatic goal.

New players and little chemistry can take part of the blame for a team usually built around such a thing. Thornton, more than anyone, needs the chemistry and Marleau's play has simply not been there to satisfy that for him.

More time on the ice and more time together should solve that for a team with unlimited potential on the power play.



2. Team Chemistry.

Out with Setoguchi and Heatley and in with Burns and Havlat. However, the trade has seemed to work out substantially better for the Wild as of late.

Chemistry has been hit hard for San Jose as losing Heatley's attitude and Setoguchi's playfulness has seemed to take more of a toll on this team than we initially thought. Still, the team added Havlat to a finesse group of forwards and Burns to a talented group of defensemen.

What gives?

The pieces are there, it is just putting them together that is the problem. Havlat has been limited on the ice so far this season, which can take most of the blame for the team not being able to get used to this new playing style they unknowingly acquired in the offseason. I will chalk the chemistry issue up to just that, though.



1. Better Play From Martin Havlat

He has been on and off the injury list this season, just as the Sharks probably expected. But it turns out San Jose needs him a whole lot if they are to make a run in the Western Conference.

The loss of Heatley and Setoguchi hurt this team, but getting little to no production from Havlat for several reasons only hurts this team more in return. Havlat has just two goals and 13 assists in 26 games this season.

The production is not what is hurting this team, although it may directly affect them. The time with a consistent set of players is, though. The Sharks players getting used to Havlat and his habits, as well as Havlat getting used to theirs, is the biggest issue for this situation to get resolved. That is hard to acquire in itself, let alone when coach Todd McLellan is attempting to find a different group of players that work together nearly every night.

Havlat's play will come around, but only if given time. Right now, San Jose does not have that time, though. So we sit and wait and watch this team attempt to evolve into a Western Conference elite.

Read More

San Francisco 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Preview & Prediction

It is tough to say, but in some ways, the Week 15 match-up against the Pittsburgh Steelers is the San Francisco 49ers' biggest game of the 2011 NFL season.

There are several explanations for this. The game is being played on Monday Night Football with an entire nation watching a top 3 team in the AFC play a top 3 team in the NFC, and the 49ers are just coming off a loss to a determined Arizona Cardinals team.

More than anything, Monday's night's game on ESPN is a statement game for the 49ers. It is their chance to prove themselves to be one of the better teams in the NFL. After the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Ravens and a trap game loss in Arizona, that is not so certain anymore.

Monday night's test at home against the AFC powerhouse is the 49ers' chance to prove to NFL nation that they are a real contender in the NFC playoffs.

As for the game itself, the lack of James Harrison at linebacker and a hurting Ben Roethlisberger are not what Pittsburgh was hoping for, I'm sure. However, we can expect Roethlisberger to have that same in-game tenacity we have always seen out of him, although the plan of attack for the 49ers will be to get him to the ground early and often.

The 49ers are coming off a few straight games where offense has been a clear weakness. Alex Smith has done his best throughout the season, but it seems the more Harbaugh trusts the 2005 1st round draft pick the more he seems to fail under the circumstances. He has not been up to par as he has been this season.

Monday night, he will have to contend with one of the more experienced defenses in the NFL and an even more tenacious and experienced defensive coordinator in Dick LeBeau, who will be eager to blitz Smith heavily on the national stage.




X-Factor

Alex Smith is the clear x-factor in Monday night's game against the Steelers. Can Smith manage the game effectively?

We will see.

Like i said, LeBeau and the Steelers will be as blitz-heavy as any team Smith and the 49ers have seen this season. How the San Francisco offensive line and Smith react early will give us a clear indication of how prepared they were for Pittsburgh.




Prediction

Being at home is a huge advantage for the 49ers and a loud fan base should come forward for Monday Night Football.

However, it is possible the Steelers' defense could be just a bit too much for a 49ers team struggling to convince many that they are legitimate. San Francisco must make a statement in this game against one of the AFC's elite, but LeBeau and the Pittsburgh defense should be able to take advantage of the weaker points of that 49ers offensive line on Monday. With that said, Smith and the 49ers' offense must take advantage of the absence of James Harrison, and i think they will.

49ers win 24-16

Read More