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Aubrey Huff Talks 2011 Troubles, Plans For 2012 Turnaround [VIDEO]

2012-02-15T20:26:33Z

After his rally thong-wearing, home run banging 2010 campaign that led the San Francisco Giants to their first World Series victory since moving West, first baseman Aubrey Huff had an abismal 2011 season that saw his numbers decline immensely, and his confidence at the plat slide even more.

But thanks to a new dedication during the offseason and an increased workout routine including Pilates, the fun loving Huff is ready to get back to business in 2012, and get back to his 2010 form that made him a fan favorite and a World Series Champion as well.

CSN Bay Area got a chance to catch up with Huff recently, and spoke with him about his thought on 2011 and of course 2012:

Huff and Brandon Belt will be competing for the starting spot at first base this Spring, hopefully Huff will be back to his fighting weight to take his spot back form the youngster.

For more on the Giants, head over to McCovey Chronicles.

Keith Smart Discusses Kings Loss To Bulls [VIDEO]

2012-02-15T19:36:53Z

Sacramento Kings Keith Smart has been doing is best since taking over for former coach Paul Westphal midseason, leading the Kings to a number of impressive victories since.

One such victory did not come to fruition on Tuesday night as a late rally by Sacramento against the Chicago Bulls would eventually fall short, leaving Smart to trying and explain afterwards in the Windy City:

Via CSNBayArea.com

The Kings don't have much time to lick their wounds of the loss though as their road trip continues tonight with a meeting at Madison Square Garden with Jeremy Lin and the New York Knicks, then four more road games including a stop in Miami before returning home at the end of the month for a meeting with the Jazz back at Powerband Pavilion.

For more in depth news and analysis of the Sacramento Kings, make sure you check out Sactown Royalty to get in on the action.

Mel Kiper Mock Draft 2012: 49ers Select Reuben Randle, WR, LSU In First Round

2012-02-15T19:06:14Z

ESPN's Mel Kiper is known for two things: unflappable hair and scrupulous NFL mock drafts.

Kiper released his 2.0 version of the later on Wednesday, with the San Francisco 49ers selecting LSU wide receiver Reuben Randle with their first round pick, 30th overall.

Here is Kiper's analysis of the pick:

San Francisco 49ers. Record: 13-3. Rueben Randle, WR, LSU

Randle could be a steal. This is a guy who, in a more dynamic passing offense, could have been far more productive. Obviously, the combine will tell us a lot, but Randle could be preferred over Alshon Jeffery of South Carolina, because he has the length, but will be a lot quicker into and out of his breaks because he's got a leaner frame. He's better suited to beat opposing defenses over the top. The Niners need a big target in the passing game outside of Vernon Davis, and Randle could be that guy.

San Francisco has really lacked that 'go up and get it' receiver since Terrell Owens, and although few players will be at the athletic capability of T.O. back when he was a 49er, Randle would make a great addition to an offense in need of more deep threats.

For more on the Niners head over to Niners Nation. For more on the draft in general, head over to Mocking the Draft.

NFL Mock Draft 2012: 49ers Take Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu In First Round

2012-02-15T18:34:45Z

Our friends over at National Football Post have released their latest mock draft for the 2012 season, and have the San Francisco 49ers selecting wide receiver Mohamed Sanu out of Rutgers University with their first round pick, 30th overall.

NFP's Wes Bunting describes his reasonings for having the Niners select Sanu with their first round pick:

The 49ers have a glairing need at the wide receiver position and could be looking to upgrade. Sanu is a monster with good quickness for his size and a real physical dimension to his game. He offers the ability to run after the catch and can contribute inside from day one.

at 6'2" he would become the Niners largest receiver height wise, who really lacked that 'go up and get it' type of receiver after Braylon Edwards and Josh Morgan went down with injuries last season. Speedy guys like Kyle Williams and Ted Ginn are great to have, but the Niners really need a talent like Sanu on their squad to add that extra crease to their passing game along with the terrific tight ends and play makers already on the roster.

Hopefully he'll still be around on draft day when the 30th pick comes around.

For more on the Niners, head over to Niners Nation. For more on the draft in general, head over to Mocking the Draft.

Earthquakes Re-Sign English Midfielder Simon Dawkins

2012-02-15T17:29:31Z

The San Jose Earthquakes are poised to have their strongest lineup is a few years time with the news that the club has re-signed English midfielder Simon Dawkins, and with the revised playoff scenario that gets only five teams from the Western Conference in this season, they'll have the talent to make a strong push, at least on paper anyway.

Coach Frank Yallop certainly isn't lacking confidence in this bunch, speaking with the media after the signing of Dawkins:

"We're making sure we addressed the things we lacked last year," coach Frank Yallop said. "If you look at the squad, it is better than it has ever been."

Dawkins, 24, becomes the Pièce de résistance of San Jose's offseason moves that included signing Tressor Moreno from Columbia, an incredibly aggresive and attacking midfielder, while Dawkins has sound defensive fundamentals as well.

In only his second MLS season, Dawkins began with Tottenham Hotspur in 2004, but has yet to reach his true potential due to some unfortunate injuries.Dawkins was with the Quakes on loan from Tottenham last year, hoping he could shine on West and return to the premiership. Apparently they want ot give him another season in America.

Dawkins had six goals and two assists until a hamstring strain slowed him down in July.

For more on the Quakes head over to Quake, Rattle, and Goal.

Warriors Vs. Trailblazers NBA Preview: W's Go For Fourth Straight Against Ailing Blazers

2012-02-15T17:17:35Z

The Golden State Warriors are putting the pieces together night-by-night, and are finally playing consistently winning basketball under head coach Mark Jackson. The Portland Trailblazers have lost four of their last five, and will be without big man LaMarcus Aldridge once again, leaving the door a bit more open for the W's to earn their fourth straight victory Wednesday evening at Oracle Arena.

The Blazers (15-14) are coming off a troublesome 124-109 home loss to the Washington Wizards last time out, possibly a sign of the state of their team right now. Nevertheless Portland always gives the W's a handful to deal with, though will have to look elsewhere for production with their leading scorer/rebounder on the sideline, likely Nicolas Batum who's coming off a rare start at guard and a career-high 33 points,

David Lee led the W's on Monday with another solid double-double, and with Aldridge out, he should look to get some more targets in the paint, even against Gerald Wallace, who'll be at PF in Aldridge's place. The W's will need some big production out of their front court against all the size Portland possesses.

Also look for Monta Ellis to have a good game as well, held to 2-9 shooting in his last meeting with Portland. And after his poor shooting game Monday, this will hopefully be a 'bounce back' performance from No. 8.

Coverage starts at 7:00 pm PT with coverage on ESPN.

For more on the Warriors head over to Golden State of Mind.

Saint Mary's Vs. Loyola Marymount: Gaels Look To Solidify WCC Lead

2012-02-15T17:00:35Z

The Saint Mary's Gaels return to action Wednesday evening as they host the Loyola Marymount Lions. The Gaels are currently 12-1 in conference play and hold a one-game lead over the Gonzaga Bulldogs. LMU is looking to bounce back from a tough loss in Spokane to Gonzaga. The game marked LMU's first road loss in conference play and dropped them a half game back of the BYU Cougars for third place.

The Gaels face arguably their biggest week of the regular season as they host LMU and then travel to Murray State on Saturday. While neither game can give them a big boost in their NCAA tournament profile, a loss in either game could sting. The Gaels will look for continued strong efforts from Rob Jones and Matthew Dellavedova who have led the way for much of this season.

LMU is two games up on San Francisco for the fourth seed and the bonus bye week that comes with third and fourth place. San Francisco is hosting BYU, but upsets abound late in conference play, so anything is possible. Drew Viney and Anthony Ireland have been hot the last few games and will look to continue leading the Lions.

Jeremy Lin Returns To Madison Square Garden To Face Jimmer Fredette, Sacramento Kings

2012-02-15T16:00:29Z

Jeremy Lin has done it all with the New York Knicks since becoming a starter and he will return home to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night to take on the Sacramento Kings. That means a potential matchup with Jimmer Fredette, should the coaching staff decide to play him, and a chance to show his former coach, Keith Smart, who made the dumb decision to not play him last year in Golden State.

(I'm sorry for the pun.)

Anyway, Lin and the Knicks will take on the Kings at Madison Square Garden with tipoff coming at 4:30 p.m. locally in Sacramento. It will be very interesting to see how the coaching staff tries to defend Lin; my guess is they will try and bully him with Tyreke Evans and then frustrate him with the quickness of Isaiah Thomas, but that's just me. For as much fun as Jimmer vs. Lin would be, it would probably get pretty ugly on the defensive end of the court for Sactown.

Fearless Lin Prediction: 29 points, 9 assists, 5 turnovers in a big Knicks victory.