This has been the assumption all along during this labor dispute. Don’t worry about the fans. They’ll come back. We can’t irritate them enough. We can’t frustrate, anger or disappoint them to the point they would stay away. They will be there waiting for us. We – the owners and players – will find a way to divide up the $9 billion pie and all will be forgotten. Niner fans,…
If Takeo Spikes reflects the rest of the players….
The 49er linebacker told ESPN, “What do you expect us to do? Be a fool and sign something that wasn’t discussed among us?” So the players didn’t rubber-stamp Thursday the owners’ version of the CBA. Good for them. “It’s a straight power play, no doubt about it,” Spikes said. “But at the same time in this game some stuff you can’t take personally. It’s part of the procedure.” In past…
Who’s telling the truth here?
The owners are saying we had a handshake deal with the players, that the proposed CBA documents are the same documents the players reviewed Wednesday. No, that’s the not true, said head player rep De Smith. Who’s telling the truth? What is clear is this: The players didn’t vote to approve or disapprove Thursday. Contentiousness has resurfaced. There are “issues”, “loose ends” with this little gremlin staring down the players…
Nice power play by the owners
With Roger Goodell conducting a celebratory press conference, as if the biggest hurdle has been resolved – the owners’ approval – the players have come under a lot of pressure to sign this deal. If they don’t, they come off as preventing football from happening. It was a power play all the way, and one that probably will work. Fourteen hundred players make $400,000 or less. They don’t have the…
Why can’t De Smith control Jeffrey Kessler?
From what is being reported, Kessler, one of the players’ attorneys, has been dragging his heels on getting the union cards to all the players. The owners won’t sign off on a new CBA without the NFLPA recertifying itself. If there is no union in place, the owners could face anti-trust action from future players. Like Stanford’s Andrew Luck in 2012, who could sue the league for being denied the…
The first three things, and the only things, the 49ers need to do when the lockout ends
1) Release Nate Clements and sign Nnamdi Asomugha 2) Release Nate Clements and sign Nnamdi Asomugha 3) Release Nate Clements and sign Nnamdi Asomugha
No two-a-days? Why not?
As part of the new CBA, the league may eliminate two-a-day practices during training camp. I remember Gene Upshaw telling me once he wanted two-a-days because his body needed to be contact-conditioned. Can’t get that in the weight room. Uppy, however, played in a time in which offensive guards such as himself were considered huge at 255 pounds. Now guards are 100 pounds heavier and just as quick. To throw…
A sign that the lockout is almost over
The 49ers sent out a press release today announcing that single-game tickets for all 49er home games will go on sale this Saturday. Fans may purchase as many eight tickets per game. Go online to www.ticketmaster.com, charge by phone (800) 745-3000 or go to a ticketmaster outlet at http://ticketmaster.com/h/centers/ca.html.
What Jed York is really saying about signing free agents
At a NFL event Monday in Los angeles, Niner president and CEO Jed York said what his general manager, Trent Baalke, said a week ago: The team will not be major players in signing free agents once a CBA is signed. Reading between the lines are these words: The front office is expecting Jim Harbaugh to take basically the same team Mike Singletary had and coach ’em up. To not…
Forrest Blue passes away
The former Pro Bowl center died last Saturday at an assisted living facility in Carmichael at 65. Blue played 11 years, was a two-time First Team All Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler. Like ex-49ers John Henry Johnson and Joe Perry, Blue asked his brain be donated for research at Boston University. Once the donation was an unique request but now it is becoming commonplace, to the point that many,…
When monkeys fly….
That’s when the Raiders and the 49ers will share a stadium. A story in Wednesday S.F. Chronicle said Jed York of the 49ers and Amy Trask of the Raiders have indicated there has been an on-going dialogue between the franchises about sharing. The idea has been floating around for a while but just think of all the reasons it simply can’t work. The 49ers want to sign a contract with…
Let’s just say Jim Harbaugh is competitive
HBO recently ran a show that demonstrated the competitive nature of Niners head coach Jim Harbaugh, courtesy of the Sacramento Bee. “Jim Harbaugh once beaned a little girl in the back with a fastball. He was only nine years old at the time, but that didn’t seem to make a difference to the horrified parents watching from the stands.” Somewhere Mike Singletary is reading this and thinking, “I would have…
Is John Madden onto something here?
The former Raider and Hall of Fame coach came out with his “highest-rated rookie” list. Aldon Smith, chosen seventh overall by the Niners, was left off the list. Smith and Nick Fairley, picked 13th, were the only defensive players drafted among the top 15 picks not selected by Madden in the top 10. Arizona’s Patrick Peterson was ranked first. What made Madden leave off Smith? No reason was given but…
Expect a different role for Frank Gore this season
Frank Gore is only 28 years old but he has carried the ball 1,371 times already in the NFL. His career average of 4.7 yards per carry is superb. But Gore is entering a time in which much-used running backs start to wear down. To that, apparently, Niners coach Jim Harbaugh has an answer. “It’s not that my running style will change,” Gore told SI.com. “He’s just going to get…
So, Trent Baalke’s playing the hand he is dealt?
The 49ers general manager spoke with Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News and said, “From a philosophical standpoint, we’re not going to be major players in free agency (in signing free agents). . .we’re going to build this team through the draft. . .” Comment: It’s unsettling to think Baalke is really saying “I’ll play these”, like he has a a heck of a poker hand worth keeping….
The lockout looks to end in a week
Talked to a league official this morning. Wanted to know if a new CBA was an imminent as ESPN reported Thursday. “Don’t worry about the weekend,” this person said. “Even if there is a gentleman’s agreement, a handshake in principle, it still has to be ratified (signed) by all the owners and player reps. I can’t imagine this would happen in a conference call.” Given the fact the owners are…
All you need do is be on the sidelines for two minutes
That’s all. Just spend two minutes on the sidelines of any NFL game, be it exhibition, a blow-out, in the rain, snow or hot sun. Just spend two minutes on the sidelines and listen and watch. If you ever doubt whether the players need lifetime health care, that will clear up the mystery. Fans can’t appreciate the force and the violence of the game from the stands. “The sound of…
Everything’s in place except, well, the stadium
Joe Montana is heading a business group that has received permission to lease some land in Santa Clara to build a luxury hotel project. The Hotel To Be Named Later will sit next to The Stadium That Has Yet To Be Financed, Much Less Built. Joe, you’re known for miracle finishes. But this will be your toughest opponent. The new stadium is scheduled to open by 2015. About the time…
James Harrison, a saint or a sinner?
Given the sport he plays, given his encouragement to be violent, and given his history, was it really any surprise when the Steelers’ James Harrison went off like a Roman candle against the league’s commissioner and a few teammates? Sure, Harrison was out-of-line with the anti-gay slur he uttered about Roger Goodell. And you don’t throw teammates under the bus. But make no mistake. Somewhere in those NFL offices on…
Bob St. Clair would like lifetime health insurance for the retired players.
St. Clair, the 49ers Hall of Fame offensive tackle, is not bothered by the lockout taking this long. However, he is very angry at how the NFL continues to disregard the players who came before. “What really disappoints me,” St. Clair said, “is that we are not represented by the NFLPA. They only deal with the active players. They have even come out and said they don’t represent us (retired…
