Camp Alex II came and went this past week without much coverage and without much interest. The two camps no doubt nudged forward the installation of Jim Harbaugh’s playbook, and provided a bonding experience for the players, but whether that wins us a game or two this season is highly dubious.
It did seem that the players were quite impressed with Colin Kaepernik, or KAPernick to you pronunciation oriented sticklers. Best get used to the name, because this fellow seems to be the real deal. We won’t know for sure until he starts ducking defensive ends pouring through whiffle blocks while trying to complete a pass before getting killed. That scenario has been a staple of the 49er offense the past few years, no matter who was playing QB. Perhaps the O-line will play a lot better in an offense that keeps defenses on their heels, but that is an anticipation at this point, and not yet a reality.
What does seem inevitable is that Alex Smith is done as a 49er. Even if he were to play well this year and lead the team to the playoffs, I don’t see him wanting to re-sign with the Niners next year. Harbaugh drafted Kaepernick to be his QB and Smith knows it. This is a one year gig with mutual benefits to Smith and to Harbaugh. Let’s hope it’s a mutual benefit to us fans as well.
Speaking of fans, we have arrived at the turning point days of the offseason lockout. If we can believe the experts. Whoever they are. We’ll either have an agreement announced today or this weekend, or we’ll start seeing the 2011 season slowly slipping away.
My sense is that fans have tried to be cheerful and pretty much let this nonsense play itself out, figuring the owners and players can’t be so stupid as to actually sabotage a season at a time when the league is prospering and the economy is so poor. If this impasse continues past this week and impinges on the season, though, fans are going to get real disgusted and the mood will turn decidedly ugly.
I don’t feel particularly optimistic we’ll hear good news today or tomorrow. Maybe it’s just part of a general feeling that the world seems to be collapsing all around us, so why not football, too? Or maybe I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m usually wrong about things, so if I expect bad stuff, maybe it will jinx events into becoming good stuff.
Obviously, I’m teetering on the edge of lunacy. There was a time earlier on in my life that being a lunatic seemed kind of cool. But I’m not of that persuasion currently. Young lunatics are laughed off. Old lunatics are sent off.
All the filler and happy talk and player camps that have kept us pigeons fed since March will no longer suffice for entertainment. We need a new CBA and we need it NOW.
It is time for this labor impasse to become deciduous and be shed away.
Today’s WOTD is complicating a word I made up. Deciduate which means the act of deciding. Example, “I’m deciduating”. I came up with it after I saw a commercial where the employees, who were lying in a room, told the boss they were ideating. Hey, if they can make up words I can make up words too, right. Well, with today’s WOTD my new word now has two possible meanings. You know, making up words can be tougher than it looks.
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Question. How come the spell checker did not know how to spell Deciduate? I made this word up at least 5 years ago!
The spell checker would flunk out on the first word at a spelling bee.
NJ49er said it pretty well a thread or two ago, that the lockout had “wilted” his interest in NFL matters. That fairly well describes my own feelings, too. It would be irresponsible of me to suggest that I’d love to send some goons in there to start breaking kneecaps, so I guess I won’t say it even though I’d like to. Is hinting against the law yet?
You need to be more well rounded. If you learned to drink beer and make up words you could pass some of the idle time!
I think I might be, at least on this blog anyway, the only one who is actually rooting for the lockout to continue. I’d rather watch no football at all than what the 2011 49ers are gonna trot out.
The NFL has company. The NBA went into lockout mode last night. Since this is a 49er blog the majority response was probably “who cares?” I don’t either. The entire world could go on a lockout and I wouldn’t give a rat’s ass.
Niners have sold $138 million in luxury suites for new stadium in Santa Clara. Not too shabby.
As far as I know the “thought police” aren’t rounding anyone up yet. Although, innuendo can play rough at times.
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dennis – I don’t have high hopes for this season, but I sure do want to see what type of team Harbaugh throws out there. We really don’t have anything to lose.
I took my forlorn speakers into the emergency ward. Luckily the doctor knows the Allman Bros, Bonamassa and etc… music. He fixed my preamp already. I’m being told they need to keep my babies for at least a month. Good thing I have decent insurance. I bought a cheap pair of speakers yesterday to help pass these lonely days without my house shakers. Imagine me playing music on the weekends that doesn’t hurt my hearing. I’m feeling responsible already! Time to start drinking. We’ve got ELO at Royal Albert Hall and The Moody Blues at Montreaux. Both just arrived.
In ’79 and ’80 Walsh often told the team at halftime: “You are going to lose this game… the important thing is how you lose it. Are you going to keep fighting or just give up?”
Progress this year may be measured in much the same terms. Just not seeing the team roll over like they did a couple of times the last two years, fight to the end, and have somewhat less offensive futility.
We have a chance of getting better, which we sorely lacked under Singletary. The hard part for fans will be staying patient as Dr. Harbaugh applies the long tough cure to his team.
No bedlam around here last night. The cheap speakers worked fine. The house didn’t shake, not with these speakers, but they don’t sound half bad for being cheap speakers.
Looks like Unca has sneaked over into the Smith Haters Club over the past few months. It’s good for business, I guess.
“It’s not personal, Skeebers. It’s strictly business.”
Naming rights to the new stadium
should be worth $250 million so they’re halfway there.
I am a believer in the Santa Clara Stadium. Hunter’s Point is a pipe dream and not happening until 2020. Don’t think this team can go on for another 9 years at the stick.
Also by 2020 the stadium will most likely cost 1.5 billion
For grins V has just posted one of the classic V-isms “blind legions” on SF Gate. Why doesn’t he know it’s blind allegience?
I’m not on the Smith hater or fan side. With all he has been through I would like to see him get some proper coaching and strategy to work with to see what he has. If Kap is the guy I’ll want him to play. I just want to see the best QB in the pocket. I’m not sold on him but I’m also no so sure he isn’t the right guy for the job. One thing is for sure, he has not had a chance to succeed.
I’m fairly sure I heard this wrong, but some attorney named Bob just had an ad on the radio that said if you took this drug and died call me, we might be able to get you financial compensation. Yeah, if you died and called we could figure some way to turn that into money.
“Why doesn’t he know it’s blind allegience [sic]?”
For the same goddamn reason V thinks it’s “duck tape.”
“Oooooo, somebody step on a duck?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMVvTl83gWg
Don’t forget my favorite V-ism: “Escaped Goats.”
Always made me laugh of think of Stalag 13. V would make a very good Colonel Klink.
Technically, IIRC, he said “Escape Goats” when calling out unca on the insider. But whats the different! Unca was out for a few days, came back and read some of V’s stuff and discovered “Escape Goats”. That was hilarious.
That is hilarious, ‘escape goats’. Fond memories of V, man… Still glad I missed the guy. BTW I saw Spit on MAiocco’s Facebook page giving Matt a rasher of crap and MM and some friend of his were trying to make Spit understand some fine point (like it was LAST year’s prediction MM made that spit was referring too). It was typical Spit oppositional nonsense going nowhere.
I posted there that spit was behaving himself on Unca’s blog but maybe it got too civilized for him so he came here to torment you guys; just ignore him. Few hours later Maiocco sends a message:
“Good advice, my friend. He didn’t tag me on anything, but I saw where he claimed I predicted something that was inaccurate. But I’ll heed your advice. I won’t waste any more time on it. Thank you.”
Spit cleaned it up a little (after he got put on a time out by Unca?) but did he really change? No, basically people don’t change.
Skeebs you’re right we are at a moment of truth: owners, players and DeMoron make a deal next few days or this pushes us fans into some ugly, indifferent place where the common sentiment will be “Football? meh…”
That would be better than the nightmare we have experienced for past 8 years. Maybe I should join Reynaldo out in the coconut tree?
From Matt B:
Thomas Boswell, a veteran of a
couple of baseball strikes, warned readers not get caught in the ebb and flow of the NFL negotiations. His words seem particularly prescient after the good news/bad news/so so news of the last 48 hours. Here’s an excerpt:
“Fans of the NFL, even the most ardent, should also learn something from baseball’s misery: Don’t care. Or care as little as you can. Don’t live and die with the latest twist in talks. … Because there is one certainty when labor fights get this intense: Neither side cares about you. If you pick a favorite and scream your opinion, then you’re probably the sucker. The owners will only listen to those who back them. The same goes for the players. The sound that really worries them is silence. Try to provide it. “
PF – Good advice, since the amount of money involved is so large, I doubt either side is really caring about the fans. And, since nothing can really take the place of Pro Ball, most everyone will be there when play resumes. The game of football is way bigger than the greedy owners, union reps, and players. Everybody can be replaced.
Grumpy V didn’t like you correcting him on his “blind legions”
The little hypocrite hit the report abuse button (which he says violates first amendment rights)
Still you kicked him where it hurt
Bullitt – He is going to effing LOVE my next three posts I just put over there. LOL
The NFL Network released its Top 100 players as voted upon by the players themselves. Numero uno? Yep. That would be my quarterback, Tom Brady. Sorry, no, A*** S**** did not crack the Top 100. Who are we kidding? He wouldn’t even crack the Top 1,000. How many players are there in the league? Let’s see 53×32 = 1,696. Maybe he’d make the Top 1,695. Maybe.
Happy 4th of July everybody. Be safe and don’t drink too much. Well, be safe anyway.
I’ll never give up my 49er addiction but it’s hard to be interested in football with the labor crap at the moment.Just because it’s boring doesn’t mean I’m not addicted, it’s in remission is all. I’ll follow Dennis and switch to scotch in the meanwhile. Happy 4th over there!
Looks like the players used their suffrage and voted Brady #1.
The Jets are having a good belly laugh over that ranking.
I’d rather have Aaron Rodgers as my QB. He’s much better at getting the ball out quickly and under pressure.
Agree on Rogers over Brady Bergs. However as a duly self-appointed fan I exercise my right of suffrage and cast my vote for the CBA labor issue as the number one steaming pile of crap in the football world. Nothing like a good Lasorda to start the day.
Joey Chestnut hoisted the Mustard Belt for the fifth straight time today by downing 62 Nathan’s hot dogs in 10 minutes. Sonya “The Black Widow” Thomas stuffed down forty to win the women’s division. Bon appetit!
They must have to throw-up as soon as no one is looking. I wonder what the long-term effects on their bodies will be? If I ate 62 dogs I would’nt be able to get up for a couple of days.
This Chestnut fellow is not a big dude, either. Skinny guy. Don’t know where he puts it.
Chestnut ingested over 20,000 calories, the average diet of a normal person for 10 days.
It’s the sodium in those hot dogs
which is like 2 full salt shakers.
Not good for the heart and it will kill him later on.
Skeebers do you have any insight where Eric Branch is going?
Who’s going to replace him at SRPD?
No idea, Bullit. Branch should surface this week, probably doing TV or maybe taking David White’s vacated spot at the Chronicle.
As for his replacement, probably somebody promoted up from within at the PD, which is what happened to Branch.
Branch did a hell of a job. I hope he stays local. But is the Comical really allowed to hire real reporters these days? 😉
Losing Branch at the PD is like missing half my football fix. The other half is right here because I know you’ll forgive me asking dumb questions and talking crazy shit. That’s important.
New post is up, PF.