RealClearSports: Games Are Best Even If Teams Aren't

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

HOUSTON — An interesting theory put forth by the man from the Midwest: The team that wins the NCAA tournament won't be the best in college basketball. Well, then, who will be, all those schools eliminated along the way?

The refrain repeated so often has basketball ahead of college football, because in basketball a champion is determined the proper way, in competition.

Oh, we keep hearing, why can't football do the same thing, have a playoff?

© RealClearSports 2011

SF Examiner: Bolstered lineup, pitching depth make A's contenders

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

So the Giants finally have their World Series win. As A’s loyalists like to point out, that leaves San Francisco three behind the team from Oakland — a team suddenly more relevant than Lew Wolff’s desperate attempts to move to San Jose or the whispered hints of Major League Baseball to contract the franchise into oblivion.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Giants enter season with great expectations

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

Another season, but for the Giants, not another season. A season in which they are no longer misfits but winners. A season in which they are no longer unappreciated, but admired. A season to follow the season of them all.

Opening Day has arrived, a first game on the last day of March against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, the Dodgers, who for decades drew envy and enmity from fans of the Giants. Until 2010.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Giants catcher Buster Posey is determined to succeed

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

Perhaps it is best left to Brian Wilson — who himself falls into the category of “is he fact or fiction?” — to summarize the life and career of the kid who catches his pitches.

“It’s like a movie,” said Wilson, the Giants’ closer, “‘The Buster Posey Story,’ or something. But it’s real.”

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

Newsday (N.Y.): Jason Giambi: Bonds' trainer sent me steroids

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

SAN FRANCISCO -- Former Yankee Jason Giambi testified Tuesday that Greg Anderson, the jailed former trainer of Barry Bonds, provided him with performance-enhancing drugs and instructions in their use.


Giambi, the 2000 American League MVP when he was with the Athletics; his younger brother Jeremy; and Marvin Benard, onetime Giants teammate of Bonds, appeared on the witness stand in Bonds' perjury trial.


The prosecution seemed to have an advantage on a day lacking the drama of Monday, when Kimberly Bell, Bonds' former mistress, testified against the home run king.


First, former Giants trainer Stan Conte said he tried to have Anderson and another Bonds trainer, Harvey Shields, banned from the clubhouse. Conte testified he noted Bonds had gained weight and developed acne, which prosecutors contend was the result of steroid use.


Then Jason Giambi told the jury in U.S. District Court that Anderson mailed him injectable testosterone and the infamous cream and clear, undetectable steroids produced by Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO).


Jeremy Giambi's testimony virtually duplicated Jason's, confirming Anderson told them what the substances were. "I understood it was a steroid,'' Jeremy said.


Anderson is a key figure in the case, which resulted from Bonds' telling a grand jury in December 2003 that he never knowingly took steroids. Anderson last week was put behind bars a third time for refusing to testify against Bonds.


Bonds, 46, who left baseball after 2007, set the single-season home run record with 73 in 2001, and the career mark, 762. He is charged with four counts of lying and one of obstruction of justice. To convict on perjury, the prosecution must prove the defendant was "knowingly lying.''


Conte, now a trainer with the Dodgers, said Bonds in 2003 acknowledged Anderson was dealing steroids. "Greg was only selling steroids to help his kid,'' is what he said Bonds told him.


Jason Giambi said he used a steroid, Deca Durabolin, before traveling with Bonds and other major-leaguers to Japan in the late fall of 2002. But after Bonds had him contact Anderson, he changed his routine.


Said Jason Giambi: "[Anderson] referred to it as an alternative to steroids that would be undetectable on a test.''

One of Bonds' defense attorneys, Cristina Arguedas, in cross-examination tried to show that Jason Giambi did not know for sure what he received from Anderson.


Giambi did acknowledge he told a grand jury he was never expressly told what the "cream'' and "the clear'' were, other than being alternative forms of steroids.


But prosecutor Jeff Nedrow then asked Giambi about several items he received from Anderson, and Giambi replied, "I understood what it was. A steroid.''


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http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/yankees/jason-giambi-bonds-trainer-sent-me-steroids-1.2788807
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

SF Examiner: Giants' Barry Zito dodges curveballs amid constant scrutiny

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

You realize all you can be is yourself. Barry Zito said that. The world swirls about him, the debate goes on, the arguments continue. But all Barry Zito can do is be himself.

“I definitely have something to prove,” Zito conceded.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

Newsday (N.Y.): Bonds' ex-mistress testifies against him

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to Newsday
SAN FRANCISCO -- In testimony both tearful and  confrontational, Barry Bonds' former mistress Monday described the advent of his hair loss, acne and other changes to the  anatomy that a doping expert previously said could be caused by the use of  anabolic steroids.

Kimberly Bell said she was Bonds' girlfriend from 1994 until 2003, when he told her "to disappear.'' She also testified that the former slugger threatened her more than once, insisting, "I thought he would kill me.''

Bell, who said she met Bonds in the parking lot at Candlestick Park after a game during his playing career for the Giants, is a prosecution witness in the case against Bonds. He is accused of four counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice for allegedly lying to a federal grand jury.

In testimony, Bell described Bonds' shrinking body parts and behavior in which he became "aggressive, irritable and impatient'' from 1999 to 2001.

Twice during the long session, Bell began to sob. On other occasions, she was terse with a defense attorney.

Bonds, 46, sat next to his attorneys, occasionally twisting in his chair and taking notes but not showing any emotion.

Bell said that Bonds, after they broke up, refused to pay for a Scottsdale, Ariz., home he had promised her.

When asked by prosecutor Jeff Nedrow if she ever discussed steroids with Bonds, Bell responded that she did around 1999-2000 at her apartment in Mountain View, Calif., about 30 miles south of San  Francisco. Bonds had a serious elbow injury, and Bell had asked why it was so severe, and, she testified, "He said
it was because of steroids.''

She said he told her that Mark McGwire and other ballplayers were using steroids "to get ahead.'' McGwire in 1998 set the single-season home run record of 70, which Bonds broke with 73 in 2001.

Defense attorney Chris Arguedas tried to poke holes in Bell's testimony by insisting Bell was only trying to make money off her relationship with Bonds, by authoring a book with a ghost writer.

Bell was depicted as a bitter former girlfriend who in trying to promote the book, which never was completed, went on various radio and television programs, including Howard Stern's.

Arguedas also made much of the fact that when Bell signed the lease for the Scottsdale house, where she lived from 2002-04, it was as a "secondary home,'' not a primary home, trying to persuade the jury Bell committed fraud on the documents.

Bell said she first thought of Bonds as the actor Richard Gere in the film "An Officer and a Gentleman,'' but was hurt when he told her in 1998 he was marrying someone else.

Longtime Giants equipment manager Mike Murphy, who conceded he was "very nervous,'' said Bonds originally wore a size 7 1/4 baseball cap but that his head size increased to 7 3/8. Murphy also explained, however, that the hat sizes of Giants Hall of Famers Willie Mays and Willie McCovey also increased as they aged, although it occurred after their playing careers ended.


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SF Examiner: Miguel Tejada is much more than the San Francisco Giants' 'new guy'

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

He was the kid so poor he was forced to use cardboard for a baseball glove. Miguel Tejada excelled because he needed to excel. The other option was a life of struggle.

So if along the way, Tejada may have played loose with the truth as well as playing some brilliant baseball, well, that could be understood, if not approved.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: San Francisco Giants' Aubrey Huff: The thong is gone, but the man remains

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

It’s difficult to tell if Aubrey Huff is serious or serial. He comes across as two-thirds sarcasm, one-third smart-aleck, exactly the sort of ballplayer needed in any clubhouse and by any journalist.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: It's Not What Bonds Did, It's What He Said

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds used steroids. Hardly one of those "This just in'' items. Everyone knows it. His own attorneys concede it.

But that's not the issue in his trial, which, depending on one's viewpoint, is necessary or absurd.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

SF Examiner: San Francisco Giants' Cody Ross endeared himself to fans, earned a starting spot

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

He’s not quite a national monument. That label belongs to the other entity from Carlsbad, N.M.: the caverns. “It’s a pretty neat experience,” Cody Ross said of visiting his hometown attraction. “Especially as you get older.

“As a kid, I didn’t appreciate it as much.”

This from a ballplayer who in his career was not appreciated at all — until early last autumn.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum has what it takes to be 'cool'

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

It wasn’t an escape. Not according to Tim Lincecum, although some might view it exactly as that. He simply headed north, back to the state of Washington and away from the state of hysteria in which, metaphorically, he had found himself.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: As Barry Bonds trial pushes on, mystery of Anderson grows

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

He is back in jail again, for being loyal. Or being a bit crazy. Or because, as some believe, we are a world of skeptics and some day he will be paid for his silence.

Greg Anderson is the man no one can understand.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: U.S. v. Bonds Makes Great Theater

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO — You have to like the way the event is listed in official documents and on the media badges: "USA v. Barry Lamar Bonds.'' As if it were an Olympic hockey match or basketball game, not a perjury trial of a baseball player.

What do the officials do, go out on Golden Gate Avenue in front of the federal building and gather a few people to chant, "USA, USA''?

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011

Newsday (N.Y.): Lawyer calls Bonds' defense 'ridiculous'

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to Newsday
SAN FRANCISCO — Barry Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson, made it 3-for-3 Tuesday, again refusing to testify against his boyhood pal in Bonds' perjury case, and again being sent to custody for contempt of court.

Anderson, accused by the prosecution of providing illegal performance-enhancing drugs to the all-time home run king, already has spent more than a year in jail or prison. United States District Court Judge Susan Illston told Anderson he would remain in custody for the duration of the trial, which began Monday and could last 2-4 weeks.

Anderson's lawyer, Mark Geragos, repeating earlier comments, said Anderson doesn't trust the prosecution. Illston said she hoped Anderson would change his mind and would keep him confined for contempt "until such time you will testify."

Illston told the jury of eight women and four men that to prove perjury in Bonds' December 2003 statements to a grand jury, prosecutors must show his testimony was "knowingly false.''

Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Parrella told the jury that Bonds "deliberately lied'' when he testified he had never knowingly used anabolic steroids. The prosecutor said Bonds' claim he believed the substances he was taking were flaxseed oil and arthritis cream, were "quite frankly, an utterly ridiculous and unbelievable story."

In his opening statement, Bonds' lead attorney, Allen Ruby, said: "... Barry Bonds went to the grand jury and told the truth and did his best.''

Ruby later said government witnesses and leaks "created a caricature of Barry Bonds, terrible guy, mean.'' Ruby also criticized government witnesses for cooperating with the media, saying they created "poisonous things that have been out there about Barry.''

Food and Drug Administration agent Jeff Novitzky, one of the prosecution's prime witnesses, said he found a "treasure trove of drugs'' when he searched through the garbage of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO), the firm accused of creating the substances Bonds allegedly used.

Ruby went after Novitzky about a meeting he had with a former Bonds friend, Steven Hoskins, eliciting a few laughs. Hoskins, a former 49er who was involved in the sports memorabilia business with Bonds, is to be a prosecution witness.

Rudy told the jury the "government will bring in three or four witnesses to discuss the size of Mr. Bonds' organs, his head, his feet . . . '' Bonds' increased head size, skeptics had said, were caused by his use of steroids.

While Parrella spoke, Bonds, dressed in a blue suit, sat with hands clasped between Ruby and his other lead attorney, Chris Arguedas. Bonds didn't appear shaken by the testimony. After the long court session recessed for the day at about 3:30 p.m. PDT, Bonds greeted a journalist he recognized before walking through a light rain to a waiting SUV.

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/lawyer-calls-bonds-defense-ridiculous-1.2776038
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): St. John's women lose to Stanford, 75-49

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By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

STANFORD, Calif. — It looked so good for the St. John's women when they led Stanford by eight points at about the midway point of the first half of their NCAA Tournament second-round game Monday night. Then it looked perfectly awful.

Practically before anyone could blink, and virtually before St. John's could get off any shot — let alone a good one — Stanford had outscored St. John's by 40 points. Not 4 . . . 40.

As in 55-15 — which turned an eight-point deficit into a 32-point lead.

With a huge second half, Stanford beat the Red Storm, 75-49. And No. 9 seed St. John's understood how the No. 2-ranked Cardinal could have stopped UConn's record 90-game winning streak in December.

It was the 63nd straight win for Stanford at Maples Pavilion and its 24th straight overall.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed," St. John's coach Kim Barnes Arico said, "but they're one of the best teams in the country. We were able to hang with them early, but we ran out of gas. They're an outstanding team."

They're also a bigger team. St. John's tried to jam the middle, and it worked for a while, as Storm led 22-14 with 9:45 left in the first half. But Stanford went outside and started hitting, and St. John's, inside or outside, started missing. And kept missing.

In the second half, St. John's was 5-for-24 from the field, and in one stretch, after trailing only 38-30 at intermission, was outscored 21-0. The Red Storm wound up falling behind by 32 points at 69-37.

"We sort of ran out of energy," St. John's Da'Shena Stevens said. "They hurt us inside. We went cold. We rushed things a little bit, which is what happens when you fall behind. We didn't get stops, so it was hard to get good shots."

Stanford's sister act from Cypress, Texas, made a difference, with junior Nnemkadi Ogwumike getting the points (22) and freshman Chiney Ogwumike getting the rebounds (12). Kayla Pedersen had 14 points, eight rebounds and five
assists.

Centhya Hart led the Red Storm with 15 points and Nadirah McKenith added 10. St. John's (22-11) had beaten Texas Tech on Saturday, but Stanford is one of the elite squads, with a history of NCAA titles and a 31-2 record this season.

St. John's goes home after a season that wasn't all that bad -- except for the final 30 minutes.

"We were just worn down trying to match up with them," Barnes Arico said, "but I'm proud of my team. They worked very hard."

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/college-basketball/st-john-s-women-lose-to-stanford-75-49-1.2774950
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

Newsday (N.Y.): St. John's women beat Texas Tech, advance

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

STANFORD, Calif -- Kim Barnes Arico was aware  of what was happening. Yes, the fans were screaming. No, it wasn't for the coach's St. John's women's basketball team.

With a few seconds remaining in what wound up a 55-50 win for the Red Storm over Texas Tech Saturday in an NCAA Tournament first-round game, the growing crowd at Maples Pavilion let loose.

"You mean those cheers weren't for us?'' Barnes Arico joked.

She added, "I started to look around. I'm not naive enough not to know what was happening.''

There on the video board, the Stanford team was emerging from its locker room to face UC Davis in the second game, which it won easily. Stanford will host St. John's in the second round Monday night at Maples, the campus arena.

"You face that situation when you're playing Connecticut,'' Barnes Arico said about the crowd reaction. "That's the women's game, playing on the home court of an opponent in the tournament. Maybe we'll catch them on an off night, and maybe we'll have a phenomenal night.''

The Storm (22-10) wasn't phenomenal, but it was effective. Trailing 30-28 at intermission, St. John's opened the second half with an 8-0 run. Tech didn't get a point for the first 4 minutes, 32 seconds.

Then, after Tech (22-11) tied it at 36 with 10:46 left, St. John's ran off nine straight points in three-plus minutes. At that point, Texas Tech was 4-for-22 from the floor in the second half.

"I thought our defense was really exceptional,'' Barnes Arico said. "And even though we were undersized compared to Texas Tech, we outrebounded them.''

That they did, 47-40, with Da'Shena Stevens grabbing 11.

Sophomore point guard Nadirah McKenith, injured so often earlier in the  season with concussions, an ankle sprain and a bruised thumb, led St. John's  with 14 points and four assists. She also had seven rebounds.

"Only the last month has she been able to practice,'' Barnes Arico said. "She does everything. Down the stretch, she got two key rebounds and made her free throws.''

Said sophomore guard Eugeneia McPherson, who starred at North Babylon,  "Having Nadirah on our team is an honor. She'll throw passes that I or anyone won't see. She's always ready to make a pass.''

Both the St. John's men and women had to cross the country, or most of it.  The men played their NCAA first-rounder in Denver, two time zones west of New York, and lost  to Gonzaga. The women traveled three time zones, which Barnes Arico said she attempted to downplay.

"St. John's looked more comfortable than we did,'' Tech coach Kristy Curry said. "Whether it was the St. John's defense or inability to make shots, we missed a whole bunch.''

Tech missed 40 of 60, shooting 33 percent. St. John's was marginally better.  "I think both of us were extremely sloppy,'' Barnes Arico said.
But one them, St. John's, also was extremely happy.

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http://www.newsday.com/sports/college/college-basketball/st-john-s-women-beat-texas-tech-advance-1.2771159
Copyright © 2011 Newsday. All rights reserved.

SF Examiner: Roddick’s path a lesson for rising star Harrison

in ,
By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

Buster Posey, for one, seemed composed from the first time he picked up a baseball, or no less significantly picked up a team.

Same thing as the good people in San Francisco will verify, for Joe Montana, or in the vernacular of success, “Joe Cool.”

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: Federer Looks Back, Moves Ahead

in ,
By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

INDIAN WELLS, Calif. — There was clarification along with advancement. Roger Federer had no problems with his opponent in the BNP Paribas Open, Juan Ignacio Chela. "I'm happy it went so well,'' said Federer.

What didn't go well was that Wimbledon quarterfinal last summer.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011