TGIF

Nothing like a 2 1/2 month leave and an accidental Flickr purge to make you miss writing for an old blog that is more like a stream-of-consciousness outlet. I think it was the Flickr purge that did it, though, seeing as I don't have the monies to pony up for a pro account and had to delete the original TFRJ banner to clear up space.

In those weeks...
...everything the Giants did was (OMGZ!) logical and reasonable. No mortgaging the future on Manny Ramirez. No trading away Jonathan Sanchez. Shoring up the bullpen by inking Affeldt and Howry to short-term deals, and doing the same with Renteria and Phelps. Now, having Uribe as backup SS/3B, the roster as currently constructed is probably what we're going to get come Opening Day. Though the team is still lacking in the power department, the Giants should feasibly hit more than last season's total of 94 home runs, especially with full seasons from Sandoval, Ishikawa, Frandsen, and Lewis.

...the Sharks have become the Bay Area's darling (read: winning) franchise. Much of their success has come McClellan's new puck possession, shot-on-goal philosophy: the Sharks' blueline has greatly improved from its 2007-08 predecessors, thanks to the acquisitions of Boyle, Blake, and Lukowich. Though they hit a rough patch in the beginning of January, their play has trended back up as of late, and even Alexei Semenov has started to notch some points.

...the 49ers, after 8 OC candidates, finally settl on Jimmy Raye. Probably the best aspect that Raye offers is his extensive experience in the NFL. Probably the worst thing is that after that buzz around Linehan, Raye isn't anyone I'm too familiar with, but Singletary knows what's best for the 49ers.

...the Warriors have regressed mightily from the 2007-08 season. Part of it hinges on the injury bug that has taken a liking to nearly every player in Nellie's rotation. The other part is the lack of defense that Nellie's running game perpetuates. On average, the Warriors give up a -4.8 point differential and a 46.6% opponent FG%, but to their credit, their W-L record should be 16-30 rather than 14-32, a result of several buzzer-beater losses. The team should benefit as Monta Ellis comes back to full speed (pun partially intended).

All in all, it's good to be back

Patrick Willis Wins Defensive Rookie of the Year

Congratulations to Willis!

Willis won DROY in a landslide vote, earning 48 of 50 votes from AP members. He was a beast this season, notching double-digit tackles in 11 games and generally making his presence known on the field.

"It's confirmation of what you've been doing as an individual," Willis said. " From an individual perspective, it would be good for people that doubted, or didn't know if you could be a No. 1 draft pick, or if you could come into the league and do well because of your size or where you might have played ball at ... and show them that if you put your mind to it, you're capable of anything."

Willis is certainly capable of earning more hardware this year. With 174 tackles, 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 deflected passes, he has a shot at winning Defensive Player of the Year. Though Bob Sanders is most likely to win the award, I'm sure the AP writers are at least considering Willis for it.

With one award under his belt and a Pro-Bowl appearance coming up, Patrick Willis already has an impressive career, and one that 49ers fans hope he continues for a long time.

[SFGate]

Sounding Off 2007: Part 2

San Francisco 49ers

Drafting Patrick Willis and Joe Staley: One is the leader of the NFL in tackles and is a defensive workhorse every single game. The other won a starting job and ousted Kwame Harris from his and is one of the lone bright spots on the offensive line. If there was a draft do-over, I'd take these same two guys.

The "sexy" pick: After witnessing a two game surge, including a win over the Broncos to knock them out of the playoffs, to bring the 49ers' record to 7-9, many sportswriters chose the Niners as the playoff darkhorse. It was logical to think that way: Alex Smith's improvement, the wide array of offensive weapons, including new players such as Ashley Lelie and Darrell Jackson, and a strengthened defense with Nate Clements. Hell, one writer had the 49ers going to the SuperBowl.

Alex Smith: Two ugly wins, a separated shoulder, and a well-chronicled clash with Mike Nolan. 2007 was not good to Smith.

Mike Nolan: The hiring of Jim Hostler, questionable in-game decisions, and constant criticizing by the media. 2007 was not good to Nolan, either.

The emergence of Shaun Hill: For two and a half games, Niners fans saw a glimmer of what might have been. Hill, the third-string QB with not one pass in the NFL, led the team to a brief two-game winning streak. He connected with his receivers (even Darrell Jackson), showed great poise, field vision, and mobility out of the pocket (even against Tampa Bay), and threw passes reminiscent of the glory days of the West Coast offense. Though two games is in unbelievably small sample size, Nolan has already stated that Hill is a candidate for the starting spot next season.

San Jose Sharks

Failure to make it past the 2nd round. Again: After beating the Nashville Predators 4-1, the Sharks went on to face the Detroit Red Wings, one of the few teams with the ability to outplay the Sharks consistently. The Sharks took a 2-1 lead, only to allow a gametying goal in Game 4 and then lose in overtime. The Sharks dropped the next two in a row, falling out of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Sharks win the 2008 Stanley Cup: Joe Thornton also wins the Conn Smith Trophy. Wait, what? This is only a simulation? Somebody obviously forgot to tell Los Tiburones in the beginning of the season, when they mailed it in almost every other game.

One number one: The Sharks traded Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell to the Toronto Maple for a 1st, 2nd, and 4th round draft picks, which eventually netted them Logan Couture, and 18 year old center.

Schizophrenia: Home- 6-9-3. Road- 16-3-2. 'Nuff said.

Signs Point to Nolan Staying

After two days of talks with the DeBartolo-Yorks, Mike Nolan will still be the head coach of the 49ers, although stripped of some power. He will no longer have the final say in personnel decisions, and his role as GM will probably transfer to Scot McCloughan.

From Yahoo! Sports:

Mike Nolan will keep his job as the coach of the San Francisco 49ers but will relinquish final say over personnel decisions, Yahoo! Sports has learned.

After two days of deliberation, 49ers owners John and Denise DeBartolo York decided Tuesday to retain Nolan, who has two years left on the five-year contract he signed before the 2005 season. His 16-32 record over three seasons, including a 5-11 mark in '07, put his job in jeopardy, and he will likely make changes to his coaching staff.

Personally, I think this is a good decision on the owners' part. It is unreasonable to believe that a non-Walsh coach could turn around a beleaguered franchise in the space of 3 years, just as it is unreasonable to fire said coach for failing to do so in 3 years.

Anyways, according to Matt Maiocco, the 49ers will hold a post-season press conference tomorrow morning to release the details about Nolan's role and the plan for next season. Hopefully the conference will tie up all the loose ends and finally bring a close to the tension. After all, it doesn't take 2 days to fire somebody, right?

Stop the Presses!

NINERS WIN! NINERS WIN! NINERS WIN!

-hyperventilates and is unable to continue-

Ok, I've stopped.

Boy, that was the best win, even if it was one of the sloppiest defensively, this entire season. It’s time to start counting my blessings, even though Thanksgiving is three days over.

Thank you for the Arizona Cardinals, the only team we’ve swept this season and who contributed to 2/3 of our win total.

Thank you for Patrick Willis, who had 16 tackles and 0.5 sack and continues to work his tail off no matter if the Niners are out of it.

Thank you for Andy Lee, who punted for an average of 47.7 yards and who continues his case for MVP of the Niners.

Thank you for Frank Gore, who finally hit the 100-yard mark for the first time this season and scored two touchdowns.

Thank you for the Cardinals’ special teams, whose delay of game penalty forced kicker Neil Rackers to miss a 32-yard field goal attempt.

Thank you for Ronald Fields, who sacked Kurt Warner in the endzone and forced a fumble.

Thank you for Tully Banta-Cain, who finally contributed something positive and recovered the fumble.

Thank you for the win, since the Niners are one step closer to mediocrity and one step further from absolute unwatchableness!

49ers 9-13 Rams: Insanity

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

- Albert Einstein

Found in the 49ers' locker room following the 13-9 loss against the Rams:

(Late) Congratulations to Jeremy Roenick

… for scoring his 500th goal two night ago against the Coyotes. The goal itself was unconventional: shot from center ice, bounced off the back boards, bounced off Alex Auld’s back and into the net. Roenick joined the ranks of Mike Modano and Joe Mullen as American-born players with 500 career goals.

In another scheduling quirk, the Sharks face the Coyotes again tonight. If the Sharks can keep up the play from the last game, then there should be no problem notching another win. At least I hope.

[UPDATE] Sharks pounded the Coyotes 5-0. I wish FSN broadcasted the game so I wouldn't have to watch the carnage that was the 49ers/Seahawks game. Flat out terrible. Eh, I might as well do a little odds & ends link dump.

• Ray Ratto: Time to turn off the Niners [SFGate]
• Sharks beat Coyotes again (and can you believe they're playing each other again on Thursday?) [SFGate.com]
• Open Feel Sorry For Ourselves Thread (and lament the fact that Bay Area sports are at a near all time low) [McCovey Chronicles]
• Stanford's Got the Goods (hooray for Stanford men's basketball!) [SFGate.com]
• You can't not love Andris Biedrins. [warriors.com]
  
• Bill James Handbook Projections (I have a post about this tomorrow) [Fangraphs.com]
  

This One's for Her

There are wins where you know you won because you were flat out better than the other team and played as such. Then there are wins that make you feel like you're living on borrowed time.

Toss the 49ers 17-16 win over the Rams into that latter category.

It wasn't all bad though.

• Frank Gore scored two touchdowns, one of them being a 43-yard running beauty while shedding multiple tackles.
• The defense played much better than what they showed in the preseason. Though Bulger threw for 368 yards, he was sacked 6 times and generally got harassed by the linebackers.
• Patrick Willis, last week's Rookie of the Week, got a game high 8 tackles.
• The special teams harried Dante Hall throughout the game. There was one punt return in the 4^th quarter where he was cornered and tackled on the St. Louis 8. Then he had that game-changing dropped punt return where Lady Luck decided she was a Niners fan.

Well, a win is a win. Especially for Frank Gore.

Niners (quickie) 4 Bagger: 9/16

• Defense comes up big
• Do 49ers deserve first place?
• Gore heads to mom's funeral
• Better to be lucky than good
  

RIP Momma Gore

Frank Gore’s mother passed away on Wednesday after a fight against kidney disease. TFRJ’s condolences go out to Gore and his family, as he and his mother were extremely close.

Letters and cards can be sent to Frank via this address:

49ers Public Relations Dept.
4949 Centennial Boulevard
Santa Clara, CA 95054

Niners 4 Bagger: 9/11

I can’t believe my cable went out when the offense started to put it together.

• After watching one hell of a finish, Fooch over at Niners Nation handed out the virtual game ball(s). [Niners Nation]
• And the “morning after” player analyses. Where in the world was Vernon Davis? [Niners Nation]
• I wish my cable hadn’t gone out during the 4^th quarter. [SFGate]
• We want to see more of the 4^th quarter, final 3 minutes Alex Smith. Not the previous 57 minutes Alex Smith. [Ray Ratto]
• "This field is dedicated in honor of legendary 49ers Head Coach Bill Walsh and the players he inspired to greatness. His genius brought three world championships to San Francisco and forever changed the game of football. His legacy lives on with those who set foot on this field. September 10, 2007." [SFGate]
• This is why Niners fans love Frank Gore. [Gwen Knapp]
• Unsurprisingly, the real game ball went to the 49ers secondary. [SFGate]
• Press Democrat’s Matt Maiocco with his notes. [Instant 49ers]
• And more notes. [Instant 49ers]
• Even though he didn’t look comfortable at times and made some weak passes, we saw flashes of an improved Alex Smith. [Sac Bee]
• Make sure to vote for Patrick Willis as the Rookie of the Week. Nine tackles and a forced fumble is just the beginning. [NFL.com]
  

A Very Special Day, Indeed

Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of sweat, turf, and Monday Night Football.

7:15? Check.
Arizona Cardinals? Check.
Throwback uniforms? Check.
On-field dedication to Bill Walsh? Check.
National TV coverage on ESPN? Check.
Frank Gore returning? Check.
49ers' secondary versus the Cardinals' wide receivers? Check.
Alex Smith versus Matt Leinart? Check.
The return of the San Francisco 49ers to a playoff berth? Well, we'll just have to wait and see, right?

GO NINERS!

Giants, Niners, Warriors 4 Bagger: 9/5

• In a rare offensive display where Barry Bonds, Bengie Molina, and Pedro Feliz each hit a home run, the Giants snapped their 4 game losing streak with a 5-3 win over the Rockies. The night was special for Bengie, since he hit his 100th career home run. Nate Schierholtz recorded 2 hits, the first one a double that ignited the offense. Rajai “Fast-Forward” Davis nabbed another bag, and Eugenio Velez, the AA call-up got his first major-league at-bat, in which he grounded out. The kid can run though. Correia got his 3^rd win as a starter this season, and Hennessey recorded his first save after losing his consecutive save streak the night before. [SFGiants.com]
• Lowry’s status is up in the air right now. It’s not likely he’ll pitch again this season, but Bochy hasn’t confirmed it yet. Hopefully this forearm strain doesn’t Morris down his trade value too much. [SFGiants.com]
• Here’s a beautiful essay written by Bart Giamatti on the cruel and benevolent game that we call baseball. [mccoveychronicles.com]
• Will the 49ers improve this season? They certainly have the pieces to do so. [SFgate.com]
• Coach Nolan is a rebel. To heck with 5 captains! [SFgate.com]
• The Latvian national team is finally ousted by Portugal in the Eurobasket, 77-67. After picking up a nice turnaround jumper and some confident flair, Andris Biedrins will be coming back to Oakland early and healthy. He’s really improved throughout the tournament, as shown by his statline for the game against Portugal: 14 pts; 18 rebs; 3 blks; 10-16 ft (62.5%!!). [goldenstateofmind.com]
• Marco Belinelli is also putting up a solid effort in the Eurobasket. In Italy’s win over Portugal, Marco put up a game-high 20 pts on 3-5 three-pts, 3-6 fg, and 5-6 fts. Keep lighting it up, Tiratore! [goldenstateofmind.com]

Sorry for the Hiatus

Gotta adjust to the high school schedule again. Methinks my posts will be more sporadic now, due to this formula:

4 advanced classes * 7 days > x blogging hours

Some quick notes though, to keep up to date:

• The Giants just finished off sweeping the Brewers. The Cubs should be thanking us for misplacing our offense when they were in town.
• G-Rod got his first career big fly in the majors.
• Rajai Davis has been slumping lately. He was 1-17 or something like that coming into today's game. He was also caught stealing second today.
  
• The Giants received Travis Denker, a high A 2B, from the Dodgers in the Sweeney deal. Considering early reports having us getting cash, this is a definite steal.
• Speaking of Sweeney, he's gone 3-15 ever since getting traded. This further evidences that he is still a Giant.
• The 49ers were exploited by the Bears yesterday. The defense made Rex Grossman look good. But then he fumbled a snap and threw an interception, so the order of the universe was restored.
• It doesn't seem like the contract negotiations between the Warriors and Nellie are getting anywhere. I'll be extremely worried if this isn't sorted out by the end of September.
• The USA basketball team is playing quite well. They've steamrollered over every single one of their opponents by at least 40 points. If they don't win the gold in Beijing next year, I'll be very disappointed.
• Bayern are now 3-0 with 0 goals conceded in the Bundesliga. Everyone is clicking, but the players are dropping like flies. Toni just went down with a hamstring injury and is sidelined for up to 10 days.
  
• Hamit Altintop is astounding. What a threat to have off the bench.
  

I saved the best news for last:

• Rich Aurilia, Noah Lowry, Matt Cain, Vinnie Chulk, Kevin Correia, and Tim Lincecum will be guest bartenders at Dolce in San Francisco this coming Wednesday at 7 PM. The cover is $15, and it's a charity event for a boy with spinal muscular atrophy. I'd love to go there and ogle Noah, Matt, and Timmyhelp a worthy cause, but age restrictions and school nights say otherwise. It sucks being my age.
  

T-minus 5 Hours and 20 Minutes

Until 49ers football is back in action!

Tonight's preseason opener begins at 5 against the Broncos. According to Nolan, the starters will take the field for the first 15 plays or the first quarter, whichever comes first, the second unit takes over for the second quarter, and the rest of the game will be played by guys looking to make the roster.

Unlike last summer, I couldn't go to training camp, so this will be my first time seeing Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, and all the other draft picks. From what I've read about them around the internet, I'm already impressed.

It should be a fun, if meaningless from a fan's perspective, game to watch, but hey, we've been waiting 6 months, right?

San Francisco 49ers vs Denver Broncos
5 PM
ESPN, Ch. 7
KNBR 1050

Monster Park, Bill Walsh Field

During Friday's public memorial for Bill Walsh, Mayor Gavin Newsom announced that Monster Park's field would be named after Walsh.

It's a simple but beautiful gesture. If you want to be mercenary about it, the 49ers are still sponsored by Monster, and Monster still has the stadium rights. I'm sure that Bill Walsh field will be carried over to the new park in Santa Clara.

RIP Bill Walsh

Today, the 49ers organization and the sport of football have lost a truly great man. Bill Walsh, one of the most innovative and greatest coaches ever in the sport, passed away at the age of 75 after a 3 year battle with leukemia. He was known as "The Genius," known for the creation of the West Coast offense, and especially known for the resurrection of the San Francisco 49ers. He took a team that had won only 2 games in 1978, and created a Super Bowl Champion in 3 seasons. He had an keen eye for recognizing talent. He took a player's talent and elevated it and the player to the next level. He motivated them and pushed for more. He molded Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Ronnie Lott, and other great players, all of whom became beloved 49er legends. With these players, Walsh took the team to 3 Super Bowl victories. He put San Francisco back on the map and re-established one of the greatest football franchises.

So here's to Bill Walsh. We'll dedicated the 6th one to you.

Welcome to The Front Row Johnson

No, this isn't an usher greeting a fan who bought $110+ Section 115 Field Club seats for a Giants-Dodgers game at Mays Field. Here's the real background on the origin of this blog's name:

FRONT-ROW JOHNSON n. A home run that lands in the first row of seats. Origin: Don Robinson, who pitched for the Giants in 1987-91, used "Johnson'' as an all-purpose suffix, often for no reason at all. Krukow said, "If Don Robinson wanted you to hand him the ball bag, he would say, 'Hand me that ball-bag-Johnson right there.' '' No matter how nonsensical, it crept into Krukow's vocabulary.

As for me, I'm just a long time Bay Area sports fan. My name is Catherine and I'm a Giants, 49ers, Warriors, Sharks, and once-they-come-back Earthquakes fan, but I started out as a bleeding black-and-orange kid. I remember the very first sports game ever my dad took me to: Giants vs. Dodgers (aka Bums or Evils on this blog) at the 'Stick. Sadly, I don't remember much of the actual game, but I do remember one thing loud and clear: the "Beat LA" chants reverberating throughout the stadium. I was hooked. From learning to throw a fastball, to a Jason Schmidt poster, to bouncing off the walls during the 2002 playoff run, I'm a diehard Giant.

Everything else just naturally branched off from there.

The Front Row is a conglomeration of the sole (so-lay) of the Bay Area. The soul and the awesome, as Isaac Sopoaga defines the Samoan word.

So here I am, writing on my very first blog which hopefully will be as fun for you (and me) as catching a front-row Johnson.

Feel free to shoot an email: frontrowjohnson@gmail.com