October 2009: Week 2 (with Thomas Howard, Oakland Raiders)
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Welcome back to a brand new NOR CAL Report! This week, erstwhile Raiders linebacker Thomas Howard joins the lads for a firsthand tour of Raider Nation. Plus, with baseball and soccer in the rearview and football and hockey hitting full steam, there's plenty to chew on. Namely:
The Raiders pull off the stunner of the season, riding Mr. 53 and a staunch defense to a victory over the front-running Phils. Is it possible, just possible, that the Raiders' new togetherness means better times ahead?
The 49ers have two new additions: a contrite Michael Crabtree on the practice field, and a blazing "L" inscribed by the Atlanta Falcons. Which one truly indicates the team's new direction?
The Sharks roll on, featuring improved play on defense. But wait, there's more — the Sharkies also outscored both Bay Area football teams in the last week...
The Earthquakes earn a pair of road points, and look to end their season with a bang as they square off with the Gals of L.A.;
And the Giants re-sign two guys they hope can't be blamed for their putrid offense, while firing one guy who can. Jess is on the hot seat: do these moves aid, or kill, their upwardly mobile ways?
We're movin' on up, on the West side — on The NOR CAL Report!
UP NEXT: The gridiron gangs try to beat recent history, and storied foes. Meanwhile, the Sharks heat up the ice while NOR CAL's NBA squads hope to squelch expectations.
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The NOR CAL Blog:
All the latest info, anecdotes and opinions from the Report's own Jess Zitrin.
Trivia time. Q: What 49ers player has been with the team longer than any other? (Answer below.)
Good news from the Warriors' preseason finale: the Wa's outscored New Orleans by 43 points with rookie Steph Curry on the floor. The bad, and the ugly: after almost two years of flogging the "Monta at point" idea, Don Nelson picked a strange time to confess, "A lot of people suspect it anyway, but it might be better to just let (Ellis) play the 2... Maybe asking him to play point guard was too much..."
The verdict is in, and the Raiders' Tom Cable-Randy Hanson battery case is ruled — in the football parlance — incidental contact. Attorneys say that won't keep Hanson from filing a civil suit. What's left appears to be a desperate man (Hanson) acting in the good graces of a desperate man (Al Davis.) Can you imagine being Cable, and inheriting this shrill bumpkin as a part of your one and only shot at the big time? It won't happen, but if Cable pulls this team over .500, ever, he deserves a medal...
Giants fans, have you been following the turmoil at the top of the L.A. Dodgers? With the McCourts going through a nasty divorce they couldn't keep out of the postseason papers, that makes two teams in the 5-team N.L. West being torn asunder by marital unrest...
Amidst the anniversarial fiddle-faddle over the 1989 Loma Prieta / Bay Series Quake, S.F. Mayor Art Agnos sets the record straight about Commissioner Fay Vincent stopping, re-starting, or even moving the Fall Classic...
Speaking of the Giants losing out, Henry Schulman explains why the timing of Tim Lincecum's call up — May 6, 2007 — drains the Giants' pocketbook... and didn't provide the boost it appeared on the field. Short version: one week's impatience is about to cost the Giants ten, or tens of, millions of dollars...
Remember, technically, Michael Bush was starting over Darren McFadden even before McFadden's knee betrayed him. If you're looking to make a little long-term hay in Vegas, what are the odds on Bush, who's done nothing but produce when given the chance, having the more successful NFL career?
You heard him shout it out on the show, but the website for Thomas Howard, a.k.a. Mr. 53, is worth pointing out again. So far, he beats out Jeremy Affeldt for the Webby, "pro athlete" division...
It's official: NOR CAL fan favorite Adonnal Foyle is going to the Hall of Fame! Okay, maybe not the NBA Hall of Fame. But this HOF might be just as important...
Trivia Answer: Nutrition freak Jeff Ulbrich. However, not only is "Brick" so quiet you might never have guessed him, he's also seriously considering retirement after being placed on the I.R. with his umpteenth concussion. As Brick himself points out, "The game has definitely evolved - players are faster, stronger,bigger. The collisions are definitely more violent. I don't think your skull gets thicker or the brain gets tougher..." Tough break for one of the game's good guys.
I love y'all so much, I'll throw in a bonus question. True or False: The Giants now have a farm team called the Flying Squirrels. Lock in your answers, then click here to find out.We're all about the love — on The NOR CAL Report!
Posted by Jess Zitrin and Lex Gopnik at October 21, 2009 
Categories: raiders, 49ers, Giants, Earthquakes, Sharks
Categories: raiders, 49ers, Giants, Earthquakes, Sharks
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