Niners Back in the Game

How 'bout them Niners, eh? Remember back when nobody gave a damn about them? Like, for much of my lifetime? Well, things have changed, my friend. San Francisco has a team once again, with a coach that's been more on fire than Bill Clinton's days in in NBA Jam. How 'bout them dumplings? Niners fever has swept across the state in recent weeks, which led me to 49er HQ in Santa Clara on Wednesday. Wanna see something cool? Check this out:


Yeah, that's FIVE Super Bowl trophies, just hanging out in the lobby. I had never seen one Super Bowl trophy before (just a lame ol' World Series trophy), but golly, that is impressive.

Of course, those were all from days past... could they do it again? Big Jim, the angriest looking coach in professional sports, certainly seemed hopeful.


Even when he's happy, he seems pissed. What's the deal?

But it's hard to deny that the man has worked some wonders over the past season, and in his first year as head coach, no less. I've never had any love for the man (ever since I witnessed his Stanford team beat my Ducks a few years ago), but you must give credit where credit is due, and considering that Stanford lost to UC Davis not all that long ago... it seems clear that the man knows how to turn a team around.


Just look at player of the moment Vernon Davis... a disaster a year or two ago, now the king of the day. And QB Alex Smith certainly didn't have much to brag about lately... but my, how quickly things change.


"Winning as a quarterback this time of year speaks for itself. That's how I do my talking." That's how Smith responded to a question about his former critics. Pretty badass, eh? Really, it looks better in print than it sounded in person at the press conference, because it seemed more like he was dodging the question when you hear it played out. But hey, he did say it, so let's quote it up!

In the end, I only got to shoot a few minutes of practice before we were kicked out, but it was still pretty sweet to check out the behind-the-scenes action going on during playoffs. Being from the Bay Area, I get to enjoy the glory of claiming them as one of my hometown teams... and while I've never been much of a hardcore NFL fan (college is really more my cup of gravy), I've been to plenty of games in my younger days and can at least declare that I'm proud they've come this far.

Is the Super Bowl around the corner? I don't know if they have any more room on those shelves in the lobby for another trophy... but we'll see. Niners!

The Great Rose Bowl Adventure: Take Two

For the past three years, I have started each new year with an adventure. Journeys that were meant to demonstrate all that is right and true in the world. Voyages into the unknown that were intended to start the year off on a high note. It's been rough...

2010: Oregon vs. Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. Oregon lost.

2011: Oregon vs. Auburn in the BCS National Championship. Oregon lost.

Now 2012 was upon us, and coach Chip Kelly had led the Ducks to an unprescedented third conference championship in a row (in his third season as head coach). I'd gone this far, but could I really suffer at the hands of another crushing loss... in person?? The time, the effort, the cost... all factors that weighed heavily on my mind. But in the end, I decided I couldn't give up on my boys now, so we booked a flight to Pasadena and took a mulligan on the Rose Bowl!

I gotta say, it felt great to be back, and there was definately a different vibe in the air. We'd done this before. We'd gone beyond this to "The Natty". Now, we're back in familiar teritory and ready to give it another go.

I was also reminded about the drawbacks of playing at the Rose Bowl. Most notably: the stadium. It's a cool, historic place, but it is a bitch to get in and (especially) out of there. And then there's the seats... benches with numbers on them that seem to get closer every year. When everyone is standing, it was often necessary to stand sideways in order to fit. When people sat, there wasn't enough room for everyone and somebody had to remain standing. Ridiculous.

But little mattered aside from the final score. I'd been through the ringer twice before, and honestly this was probably going to be the last bowl trip for me, at least for a while. It is such an exhausting trip, and the pain of losing makes the whole journey seem wasted. I can only take so much pain before I have to consider how nice it would be to sit at home and watch the game without some jerk crowding my seat.

But finally, after years of torment, the Ducks pulled it off. And it was glorious.

So, after 3 years, I can FINALLY declare that I've seen the Ducks win a bowl game in person. FINALLY. And on top of that, I can FINALLY start a year off right! 2012 is shaping up nicely, and has already made 2011 and 2010 look stupid in comparison.

Bring on the new year! Go Ducks!