West Coast Quarterback Dominoes Begin to Fall

The NFL draft certainly received the majority of the pigskin related headlines over the weekend. As has been the case in recent years, most of the chatter centered on the quarterback position. With Sam Bradford being selected #1, it only reinforces the consensus that unless you have a solid quarterback, your team is going to struggle. What slipped up the headlines, unless you are a college football or recruiting junkie (which I am) the next generation of quarterbacks are beginning to pick their school. Quarterback recruiting is unlike any other position in college football. Schools traditionally sign only one QB, once one player commits, teams usually offer the next in line that day. This creates a domino effect that goes from the top to the bottom rung of the conference. Much like the New York Yankees pluck the choice free agents. The upper echelon of the college football world hand picks their quarterbacks. For the 3rd time in a decade, the USC Trojans have garnered a commitment from a Mater Dei (Anaheim) signal caller. Class of 2011 quarterback, Max Wittek will follow in the footsteps of Matt Leinhart and Matt Barkley and has pledged to be the next leader for the Men of Troy. Recruiting rankings don’t come out in full until after summer camps and combines, but USC traditionally takes the top QB in So Cal and then the rest of the Pac-10 takes their place at the table. What will be very interesting to watch this year, who gets to eat 2nd behind USC? Oregon and Chip Kelly, UCLA and Rick Neuheisel, or Jeff Tedford and Cal? Coaching staffs and offensive systems matter big time to top prep quarterbacks. Wittek has surged to the front of the list of So Cal signal callers, however the big time recruits this recruiting cycle are geographically spread. The next rung of QB’s on the West Coast includes three players. A dual threat stud from here in San Jose, Archbishop Mitty’s Kyle Boehm, as well as big time players from Bakersfield, Cody Kessler and Phoenix area pheonom Brett Hundley, the #5 rated QB in the country.



The wild card in all of this will be the “Armenian Assassin”, Steve Sarkisian (not his actual nickname, however I think it is pretty cool). In sports, “scoreboard” is the ultimate taunt and comeback. Sark has coached two Heisman trophy winners, beat out Nick Saban to land Joe Montana’s son, and is in the process of molding Jake Locker into the #1 pick in the 2011 draft. The top QB on the West Coast, Brett Hundley and his coach, have already visited Seattle for a spring practice and Cody Kessler will be in the Northwest next weekend.

Who will step up and stop Sark? Jeff Tedford was once thought of as “the top qb coach” in the nation, as Akili Smith, Joey Harrington, and Aaron Rodgers were all drafted in the 1^st round. What has happened since has been surprising. Nate Longshore and Kevin Reily have both failed to live up to expectations, keeping Cal in Poinsettia Bowl territory. With Reily entering his senior year, Tedford needs to hit a home run with his next Quarterback recruit. Chip Kelly and the Oregon Ducks now recruit nationally, and even though it is reported that Kyle Boehm favors the Ducks, no one knows if he will get offered. Rick Neuheisel and Norm Chow were highly thought of…..two years ago and have been largely a disappointment during their tenure. With Kevin Prince entrenched in the starting spot for the next 2-3 years, it will take a lot of skill and a little luck for the Bruins to nab a big time recruit.

The next month should tell us a lot about the next 5 years of Pac-10 football. IOne player will not make or break a football program. However, the pecking order for recruits on the West Coast has never been more competitive. Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford, Utah and even Boise State are flexing their muscle like never before. Thirty days from now we will know who truly has the “juice” in the Pac-10 and on the Left Coast.

Tim Tebow Wears Joe Pavelski Pajamas

What an epic game the San Jose Sharks played and won last night in Denver, 2-1 in OT. Joe Pavelski is quickly turning into my favorite player. The gritty, gutty, and feisty player from Wisconsin has willed his way to the upper echelon of NHL talent. He will never make an "all airport team," standing just 5'11 and registering 194 pounds. That did not stop him from making big plays in the Olympics and so far against Colorado he has notched 4 points, including two clutch goals. Pavelski has dramatically improved his game when it counts the most.



In a contest that previous Sharks teams would have crumbled and the weight of expectations, San Jose “survived and advanced.” While the series is tied 2-2, the Avalanche are getting a standing 8 count. The Sharks have worn them down, and 4 games of diving in front of pucks is starting to take it's toal. If the Sharks can come out early in game 5, take control, and let the emotion from the home crowd take over this series will be in the bag.

It was also great to see Dan Boyle, with the ultimate redemption goal. Boyle was able to quickly erase the stigma from his OT blunder, and move on. It could not have been a more fitting way for the Sharks to exorcise their playoff demons.

Speaking of playoff demons, critics and fans need to lay off Joe Thorton. While “jumbo” will never be the alpha dog scoring machine like Kobe, Jordan, or Gretzky, he is an amazing team player. Thorton is more of the point-forward, deft passing star that needs to be surrounded by other great players. One question, why have they not matched him up with a big, physical, (park himself in front of the net and cause mayhem), forward? Patrick Marleau is not that player and now that it is April, he has once again enter the witness protection program. I would love to see a line of Thorton, Heatley, and Pavelski. Jumbo would be like a point guard passing to two fearless slashers.

Greatest Post Game Interview Ever...

Yankees pitcher Chan Ho Park explains to the New York media why he struggled on opening night versus the Red Sox.



I have two questions after view this: 1.) Who is the one laughing in the background? 2.) Is Chan Ho Park still pitching in the majors?

Is Pablo Sandoval Working For KFC Now?

With opening day for the SF Giants up the road at 24 Willie Mays Plaza, Fred Couples killing it at the Masters, and the Sharks bid for the top seed in the west, there are plenty of sports related items that I could discuss. However, those will be put on the back-burner so that I can speak about my current man-crush.

The topic dujour for this beautiful TGIF......The new KFC Double Down. Somewhere the creator of the Atkins diet is weeping in a meat locker. I don't know where to start with this, except to say, "Really?" Part of me wants to hate this idea, but the other part of me wants to indulge in a Double Down after a few pitchers of beer at Rookies Sports Bar.

Hey I love fried chicken, and I LOVE bacon. Plus, cheese and I go way back, but just when did this become necessary. When will Krispy Kreme create a sandwich, with a cookie between two

freshly made glazed doughnuts.

With all of that being said, when will my local KFC start serving these little slices of heaven? While I am sure that many in the Bay Area are appalled by this creation, I am equally as sure that in the deep fried loving South, there are currently 20 person lines at the KFC inside Wal-Marts.

In researching this topic, I came across a fantastic quote from a KFC spokesperson.... “The product is going to appeal to people who are looking for an indulgent sandwich like some of the other sandwiches served at fast-food restaurants,” said KFC spokesman Rick Maynard.

I wish company spokespersons would just be honest, "We are capitalizing on the the fact that America is the most obese country in the world. We believe the key demographic for the Double Down will be 18-24 year old males, under the influence of something, especially between the hours of 10PM and 2AM."

First name Greatest....Last name Ever....

While he is not quite to Drake's standards.... nor has he yet been dubbed "Lil Loggy", Cal Bears wide receiver, Alex Lagemann (from nearby Saratoga High School) is a talented rapper. With dynamic lyrics, cool beats, and a laid back Cali style he calls "chill-hop", I must say I enjoyed nearly every song off his album.

While looking through college football news stories, I came across a link to "Loggys" mix-tape. Admittedly I was skeptical. The list of athletes who have made rap albums is long and illustrious (if you are a Top Gun fan, finish this quote). However, the list of decent records by athletes can probably counted up on one hand. The best part in my opinion, he did all this with his Mac book and an old computer microphone. With today's technology, talent can not be stopped by the need for studio time, or a big break.
What started off as a dare, has now flourished into a possible post-football career. While Lagemann did have 12 catches for 150 yards last year, he is not exactly what Todd McShay would call a blue-chipper. The reviews by fellow MC's and music lovers are far more flattering. Give his mix-tape a listen and let me know what you think.

The Sports Dads Conquer Harding Park..Sort Of....

Our day at Harding Park has come and gone. Together we took over 200 strokes to complete the 18 holes from the blue tee's (but the white yardage - more on that in a bit). I hate to sound like a boxer, but now that I have had a week to digest the days event, I want a REMATCH!

Last Saturday could not have been a more picturesque day in San Francisco. 75 degrees without a could in the sky and a 10:15AM tee time, is a recipe for heaven and Harding Park was almost that. Instead of a rehearsed, well composed essay, I will just list the thoughts Steve-O and I had as we made our way around the hollowed grounds.

- What a terrible driving range. Where did the players in the Presidents Cup warm up? Not that astroturf covered goat pasture they were passing off as a driving range. That's fine, we came to play 18, not hammer balls on the range, but still the range was embarrassing for a course of this stature.

- Was the starter drunk? The guy has one job and didn't do that well. He couldn't keep the groups straight. There were probably 15 of us chomping at the bit ready to tee off. We got cut after the group in front of us passed the starter a couple of "double sawskies" as my father in law would say or ($20) to the lay person. Then, he yanked the group that was supposed to be in front of us off the tee and let us tee off. Easy come easy go.

- I love the wide fairways, the picture above is from the 1st tee box. Since both Steve-O and myself have small to moderate slices, this worked out well for us. I only lost 2 balls all day. Losing 2 balls at Pruneridge or Deep Cliff would make me happy, but 2 at Harding Park meant I was putting the ball in play off the tee.

- They moved the tee boxes up, probably due to high percentage of amateurs on the course. We played from the Blue Tee's, however they were at the white distances. The course was probably flooded with hackers after the Presidents Cup and they wanted to keep the speed of play at a brisk pace.

- The greens feature poana grass, something I have never played on. In the morning, while the dew was still drying out, it made putting extremely slow. As the day warmed up and the greens dried out, the greens sped up tremendously. Since I don't get a ton of height on my iron shots, it was nearly impossible to keep a shot on the green without rolling it off.

- Who came up with the idea of locating a skeet shooting facility right next to a golf course? Really? Incredibly odd to say the least. Plus the fact the course and the shooting range were separated by a lake made it even louder.

- Cart path only for the golf carts actually slows down play and probably cost me two to three shots. I didn't feel like running across the fairway to grab a different club if I had a weird lie. Not a huge deal, but if I play this course again I am going to walk it.

- The view from the tee boxes on some of the back 9 holes were amazing. Especially 13, next to Lake Merced with a view of the Olympic Club. You won't be able to see it on TV in 2012 (Home of the US Open), but what dramatic elevation changes across the lake at OC.

- Like most storied courses, Harding Park has a tremendous finishing hole. This is the picture I took from the Tee Box. (PS, I laced the drive about 235 in perfect position but couldn't seal the deal with the awkward diagonal green)

Summary: I notched a 103, narrowly missing my previously stated goal of breaking 100. However, my boy Steve-O did hit 100 right on the nose. We were nothing if not consistent. I had a 51 on the front and a 52 on the back. Steve-O had two 50's.

I would encourage all golf enthusiasts to make the trip to Harding Park, only $66 bucks for SF residents and $99 for Santa Clara County residents. However, it is very much a public course and everything that entails. Five to six hour rounds, good but not great course conditions, a few holes right next to major roadways and hackers galore. However, the scenic views, and signature holes more than make up for the few negatives. Overall, I would give my experience an A-. Next up for the "Sports Dads", the links style Pacific Grove Municipal lighthouse course.