SB Nation User Blog: Bay Area Sports Guy

I knew Manuel would take Werth

Bay Area Sports Guy — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:36:44 -0000

I knew Manuel would take Werth

I mentioned it as a joke in one of yesterday's eight Game Day Threads, but Charlie Manuel actually took Jayson Werth over Pablo Sandoval to replace Carlos Beltran.

Commence bitching.

Sammy Sosa tested positive in 2003

Bay Area Sports Guy — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:58:45 -0000

Sammy Sosa tested positive in 2003

Shocker

Schierholtz is STILL waiting

Bay Area Sports Guy — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:32:56 -0000

Schierholtz is STILL waiting

Spam alert! Spam alert! I know I'm posting something from my own blog here, and for that I apologize.

This was a story I wrote after interviewing Nate Schierholtz (and others) two years ago, and it's funny how little has changed regarding his situation since May of 2007.

McC love from Deadspin

Bay Area Sports Guy — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:49:38 -0000

Deadspin took some time away from their wall-to-wall Bill Simmons coverage to link to yesterday's Tim Lincecum graphic here at McCoven. The post was written by Rick Chandler, who I'm pretty sure lives around here (he always seems to interrupt Deadspin's normal programming with Bay Area-centric fare). Along with the link and some stuff about The Unit, he also added Lincecum's quote from yesterday, "I just have to take this effort with a grain of rice."

"Hypnotize" (Manny Ramirez Remix)

Bay Area Sports Guy — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:49:19 -0000

"Hypnotize" (Manny Ramirez Remix)

New rap song from Manny Ramirez's new mixtape that's about to hit the streets!!!

It's to Notorious B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize," but with totally different lyrics written by none other than Manny Ramirez himself. Looks like he wants to be a Giant!

Judgment Night for Cohan

Bay Area Sports Guy — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 00:40:22 -0000

“Six: Got no love for the rich”
-Method Man, “Judgment Day”

To be accurate, this evening represents Judgment Night for an embattled Bay Area sports figure whose wallet is fatter than Tony Gwynn crossed with Rick Majerus.

Warriors owner Chris Cohan is wealthy, but unloved.

Cohan followed the only playoff appearance for the Warriors in over a decade by trading the team’s tenured emotional leader at the time, Jason Richardson. With so much goodwill surrounding the “We Believe” crew at the time, most people saw the trade for Brandan Wright and the $10 million trade exception as a nod towards the future with possible positive ramifications…provided they used the exception.

Well, Golden State’s NBA gift card is set to expire tonight, and it’s looking more and more like Cohan has taken that card away from Chris Mullin and chopped it up with platinum scissors.

For those unfamiliar with the NBA’s luxury tax, it’s pretty much the barometer of how much your favorite team’s owner cares about winning (or feels pressure to spend from a much more ferocious local media, as in the case of the New York Knickersuckers). Whatever amount over the tax threshold an NBA team is, that team must pay the same number of dollars to the league to get redistributed equally among the thrifty teams that avoided the tax.

The luxury tax is why Phoenix keeps giving up first round draft picks, and it’s why Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw are getting dangled around the league like bike parts and “massages” on Craigslist.

The Warriors are right up against the tax with upcoming monster extensions due to Monta Ellis and Andris Biedrins, partly because about a quarter of the luxury tax number is being taken up by Baron Davis’ $17.8 million salary.

Cohan has a choice today. Do the Warriors go all-in with Baron and try to win a title next year, or do they wait until Baron’s contract expires after next season and role with a young core of Ellis, Biedrins, Brandan Wright, Marco Bellinelli and their two draft picks from last week, Anthony Randolph and Richard Hendrix?

Since the Warriors have been supposedly building towards the future since before Latrell Sprewell had cornrows, the most loyal and vociferous fans in the Bay Area deserve the chance to watch the team go for broke (literally) in what will probably be Don Nelson and Baron Davis’ last year in Oakland. It’s up to Cohan though, so don’t bet on that happening.

(Side note: Listening to Fitz and Brooks on KNBR right now, there’s no way they use the exception. Bob Fitzgerald (the Warriors TV play-by-play announcer) has fully embraced a new company line: if you get an extra player, you’re paying twice as much because of the luxury tax. When Fitz said, “I like Kirk Hinrich, but do you want to pay $20 million (he makes about $10 million) for him?” I think a little birdie told Fitz to stop pining for extra talent since Cohan will never go over thetax. Hopefully I'm proven wrong.