S.F. Examiner: Giants go from bad to worst

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

Bruce Bochy was alone at his desk, studying numbers that could only reinforce what he knew, what we knew — the Giants are a team in trouble. The scintilla of optimism that burst forth Saturday night like the reflection off the championship rings that had been awarded, and the victory that at last was achieved after eight straight defeats, had disappeared.

They’re not very good, these 2015 Giants, the defending World Series champions. They may in fact be very bad. The 5-1 victory by Arizona on Sunday set up what even Bochy, at his postgame news conference, agreed would be a critical few games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

S.F. Examiner: Davis awakens late, raises brows and concerns for Warriors

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

OAKLAND — In the first quarter, you virtually couldn't find Anthony Davis, on the floor or in the box score. He was in both places, of course, but we're talking figuratively.

Ten minutes plus, one basket, no rebounds. The big man for New Orleans, 6-foot-10, tons of points and boards, seemed overwhelmed by the first playoff game of his three-year NBA career. He'd been waiting for this. What was wrong?

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

S.F. Examiner: Baalke likes 49ers' offense, quiet about draft plans

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers, who have the 15th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 30, will select a football player. A big, strong one, according to what general manager Trent Baalke said Friday in what was a less-than-informative media session on what Baalke is thinking.

Standard operating procedure in the NFL, certainly, is never to give away a scintilla of meaningful information because the enemy may steal the guy you really hope to draft.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

S.F. Examiner: It’s not too early to worry about Giants

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

The feeling is that of apprehension, Giants partisans watching their team stumble, falter and asking themselves, “Is what we’re in for this season?” And the answer is, it very well could be.

That eighth-inning video with Journey singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” might ease the gloom. It doesn’t change the results, which for five straight games away and home have been negative, the Giants on Tuesday night losing to the Colorado Rockies 4-1 at AT&T Park.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

S.F. Examiner: Spieth realizes greatness in Masters victory

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

AUGUSTA, Ga.— He closed the deal. Jordan Spieth came through as the best always do. Now we open the discussions. How good will this young man be?

Not that he isn’t good enough. After all, he has to be very good to win the Masters.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

Bleacher Report: Jordan's Jewel: Spieth's 2015 Masters Win an Unforgettable, Star-Making Display

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

AUGUSTA, Ga. — At an age almost too young and with talent almost too incredible, Jordan Spieth mastered the Masters as had only one other person in history — Tiger Woods.

Kicking any thought of competition deep into the Georgia pines, Spieth crushed not only the Augusta National Golf Club but the plans of some of golf’s current greats.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

S.F. Examiner: Spieth has waited a year to be back in this position

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

AUGUSTA, Ga. — He's one day and 18 holes from a dream. Jordan Spieth still is in front of the Masters. Three rounds, and nobody else has caught him. Now comes the round that matters, the round that means whether he gets the championship or more disappointment.

There's a theory that a golfer who challenges hard at Augusta one year often returns and wins the next year. Spieth, at 21, can only hope it holds true. And his game holds up.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

S.F. Examiner: Spieth bids for greatness

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

AUGUSTA, Ga. — This is greatness realized. This is a kid who the golf experts said would be the next great American, playing like the next great American. This is the 21st century version of Tiger Woods, albeit without the Woods aura.

This is Jordan Spieth tramping around the sacred ground of Augusta National Golf Club as only people like Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Phil Mickelson were supposed to do.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

Bleacher Report: Will Jordan Spieth Handle the Pressure Cooker of a Sunday Lead at the Masters?

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

AUGUSTA, Ga. — After setting records on Friday and Saturday, despite a hiccup in his third round, Jordan Spieth faces the toughest test of all, in the hours before the final 18 holes of the 2015 Masters. He’s still in first, but is he in control? The night will seem to last forever.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

Bleacher Report: Tiger Woods' New Reality: Will 2015 Masters Trigger Next Phase of His Career?

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

AUGUSTA, Ga.—  The final two rounds of the Masters will include Tiger Woods. He's very much a golfer — not a memory. Note to social security: Hold off enrolling Eldrick Woods for a long while.

Of all the athletes we watch — all right, sportsmen, if you choose — golfers have the longest competitive lifespan. The putting may be less stable and tee shots much shorter (on the second hole Friday, 65-year-old Tom Watson was 60 yards behind his partners, Danny Willett, 27, and Byron Meth, 21), but the adage holds true: it ain't how; it's how many.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. 

S.F. Examiner: New Tiger still upbeat despite struggles

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

AUGUSTA, Ga. — One round and nine behind. Tiger Woods is off and — stumbling? Maybe, probably not. A man doesn’t sit out tournament golf for nearly two months then dominate the Masters, an event comprised of competitors who fit that designation. That’s not a bad beginning for him.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

Bleacher Report: Tom Watson Enjoys Augusta Glory Once Again with Memorable Round at 2015 Masters

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

AUGUSTA, Ga. — The last we saw or heard of Tom Watson, a classy guy who had the misfortune of being the captain of an American Ryder Cup team that vocally disagreed with his leadership, he was being torn down by much of the media and some of the golfers—most notably Phil Mickelson.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

S.F. Examiner: Masters is fitting place for Woods comeback

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Now it’s up to you, Tiger. You say your back is fine. Or so you think. You say your game is fine. Or so you hope. It’s time to show us if Tiger Woods can play like, well, Tiger Woods. 

“I worked my ass off,” you told us Tuesday about returning to tournament play after the two-month break you chose — or maybe you needed — following a miserable couple of weeks in Phoenix and San Diego. We’re watching if the work pays off.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

S.F. Examiner: Wisconsin cries foul, physical Duke prevails

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

Dead in the water. That's what the coach said late Monday night, and the words seemed dead accurate. Duke was nine points down in the second half of its biggest game of the season, and its biggest man, 6-foot-10 Jahlil Okafor, was on bench with four fouls,

But a Mike Krzyzewski-coached team knows something about basketball because Coach K knows a great deal about the game. He knows who and how to recruit. And his players know that defense wins, which in the end it did.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

S.F. Examiner: Coach K deserves his spot on coaching’s Mount Rushmore

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

INDIANAPOLIS — We’re big on comparisons. Could Muhammad Ali have beaten Joe Louis — or Rocky Marciano? Could Tiger Woods have defeated Jack Nicklaus? And, as if subjectivity doesn’t enter into the equations, who is the greatest college men’s basketball coach of all time?

Up front, I’ll tell you: I’m a UCLA grad, and I knew John Wooden. So, yes, I’m biased. But if you insist, take Mike Krzyzewski, who tonight has Duke in another NCAA final. Or Adolph Rupp. Or Bobby Knight. Or Dean Smith. Or the man who veritably invented the game and mentored Smith, Phog Allen. Then you have an argument.

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner 

Bleacher Report: Duke vs. Wisconsin: Don't Downplay This Blockbuster NCAA Tournament Final

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

INDIANAPOLIS — So the best 38-1 team in college basketball has taken its unexpected leave. What did you think would happen? That they wouldn’t hold the NCAA final Monday night at Lucas Oil Stadium?

That CBS would show re-runs of The Jackie Gleason Show instead of Duke and Wisconsin on runs down the court?

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

Bleacher Report: Justise Winslow Emerging as a Superstar in Duke's Run to 2015 NCAA Title Game

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

INDIANAPOLIS — The big man, Jahlil Okafor, played as we expected. He was in the middle for Duke, a freshman who's supposed to be one-and-done.

Yet, the star of the young team, another freshman we'll never see develop to his full potential as an undergrad, was Justise Winslow.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.

S.F. Examiner: For A’s, it’s more of same old same new

in ,

By Art Spander
San Francisco Examiner

The guy for the A’s invariably is named Billy. There was manager Billy Martin in the early 1980s, virtually homegrown (Berkeley, next door), who knew what he had in roster talent. So he created a force-the-issue style, which the late columnist Ralph Wiley labeled “Billy Ball.”

The man in charge nearly the last 18 years, from 1997 to the present to be specific, has been general manager Billy Beane. He knew what he didn’t have, mainly cash. Aided by a few people who brought new thinking to the sport, he developed an idea that author Michael Lewis called “Moneyball.”

Read the full story here.

© 2015 The San Francisco Examiner

Bleacher Report: Get Ready for the Tiger Woods Circus at the 2015 Masters

in ,

By Art Spander
Featured Columnist

There’s a saying in golf that no person is bigger than the game…unless that person is Tiger Woods, who turns logic inside out and upside down. And his presence at the 2015 Masters, now that he confirmed his participation, will do exactly that.

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2015 Bleacher Report, Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.