Good morning everyone, welcome to the Down By The Bay segment, a daily post which I will be handling so you can start your day in the bay off the right way... I really wanted to do that sentence without rhyming but it just didn't seem possible, and I'm a sucker for lame statements and groan-inciting puns. This will be up at 6 AM pacific time every single day.
After the jump is all you need to know when it comes to the A's, Giants, 49ers, Raiders, Warriors, Sharks and all of Bay Area sports is laid in front of you by myself, as per our team specific blogs. So jump when I say jump... jump.
Giants: Spirits are down in the post-game thread after the Giants and Barry Zito struggled to come out ahead of the Astros. It's crazy how one game turns spirits right around and spells doom for all. Still, as I myself am a Giants fan I view it as a doom-spelling collapse as well. Also, the minor lines for the day, always a good little piece.
A's: Athletics Nation took a closer look at a no-call in the game against the Reds yesterday. I didn't catch it myself, but as that text reads it's pretty convincing that some form of injustice was made. Nico also comes to the rescue of Michael Wuertz. The dude makes sense (and also abides).
Warriors: The talk of the team is trades and draft and not much else. Seeing as how the NBA draft takes place today, that's not exactly a bad thing, no? There's some intruiging offers out there, at times it seems like the Warriors have a clear-cut plan with what they're going to do and at others... not so much. Golden State of Mind has fanshots most on these rumors. One about a trade involving the Nuggets and a possible draftee option. Beyond that, it seems the team's current owner is in the business of putting fans of the team through an incredibly long season this coming year. Wow.
Sharks: Fear the Fin had a lone post yesterday, but it's one that could sit there for some time and I imagine many Sharks fans will be OK with it - not because they're excited about the subject matter, but because if anyone deserves a moment of 'silence' and a goodbye, it's Evgeni Nabokov, who will not be brought back to the team for next season. A very good read, saying goodbye to "Nabby", a player who has been nothing but solid, unassuming and humble during his tenure with the team.
49ers: The offseason is a dark and scary place, especially the beginning-of-Summer offseason where fans are foaming at the mouth for news, so for the NFL, roster projections take the forefront. Add to that a look at sports in general and why we love them - particularly when they do as much as the USA's World Cup victory and the ten-hour long tennis match yesterday. Why we love sports indeed!
Raiders: At Silver and Black Pride, the veritable man-beast (who acts like a child), Albert Haynesworth, is examined. Would he be a good fit for Oakland? I'm not so sure they need the distraction, myself - but a player of his talent is something to be envious of. That line would instantly be scary. A post also went up concerning competition - namely that it creates character. It's a well-illustrated point, laziness and becoming complacent seem to be themes for the team these days.
Cal: It's alright to go a little bit off-topic when not a whole lot is going on, so that's what they (kind of) did when they had this Q&A with the Utah blog, Block U. They also take a first look at Cal's women's basketball recruits. Not a bad list, no?