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A few years ago, I was on a press boat doing photos of the America's Cup on the San Francisco Bay, on that particular day the Blue Angels were screaming by during Fleet Week, the Giants were in the post season hunt, the A's I believe were making a run, the Raiders I recall were out of town, and the 49ers were playing, expectations for being in the top tier again.
In addition, we have some of the top universities in the world competing in sports against those with minimal academic requirements. The smart kids winning, both men and women's collegiate sports! I thought to myself, this is so very cool to have all these choices. What if I lived in one of the many cities with limited activities?
I must admit to others, and to myself, that I now must answer 'yes' if asked whether I am a sports fan, as I have never considered myself to be such, but if questioned about the 49ers new quarterback (whom I like), I would espouse that the last guy simply was not smart. He may even have been dyslexic, because three years in a row he could not read the big play clocks in bright lights, the number of seconds the NFL gives every team to get off a play. The honor of most delay of game penalties belongs to him. Three years! And wearing a set of head phones hanging around his neck while in uniform and on the sidelines after he had been demoted? Someone please tell me this was part of the communications system, and not listening to tunes! The 49ers owner is a pathetic ego driven little person who should bring his uncle back in to run the show.
Speaking of owners, the most unbelievable come back in sports history occurred in the America's Cup the oldest sports event in modern times. Some comments I heard personally were that of course Oracle would win because they ran the show, but what they did not understand was that Ellison, the owner, could not control three races which the wind speed determined the outcome. Granted, sailboat racing is competing with a lot of activities in the Bay Area, most do not know the rules, and are not really interested, but the chance to see the boats speeding along at 48mph on foils for free from the shoreline was gigantic. Unfortunately, again, another pathetic ego driven owner sent the America's Cup to Bermuda. Bermuda?
Yes. Very weird.
Thanks, Larry, for the memories.
The SF Giants are what the 49ers were in the past, a class organization with enormous successes, my congratulations to the ownership, management, players, fans and announcers! We are blessed.
I do not follow hockey, we have a team, they have done well at times and they have followers, but not me, so apologies if this group is neglected.
OK, so the Bay Area has top collegiate teams made up of smart kids; a pro football team which used to be good, actually, two of them; a sailing competition that was just so stunning in its racing and unexpected conclusion, that it is still largely not understood or appreciated; a baseball team that has won three World Series in five years, playing 162 games a year during the regular season, then another 20 or so in the postseason; and, lastly, the Golden Sate Warriors.
Never had I been an NBA fan, my lack of interest, just that, no big deal one way or the other. For me, sorta the same category as hockey.
That opinion changed mid season last year. New coach with essentially the same players. I was hooked, watched every game I could. They won the championship. During the off season, others made comments not appreciating their achievements.
This year is historic. Again, in a positive sense, the owners play a role. The coaches, (2015 coach of the Year has been sidelined this entire season!), players, announcers and TV media shows are of the highest calibre. "Houdini...he is not human -- etc are just two comments from the other night. Those calling the games and discussing them will have to find new superlatives, because, as they say, this run truly is "historic", without going into records broken, numbers or statistics. Watching the games on TV, I am stunned by the ability and team spirit of this group, actually yelling at the TV in awe.
Radio also plays a part and I believe it was on one of these shows that a listener remarked of the Warriors --they don't have any bad guys""
That resonated with me, a metaphor for the Bay Area athletic achievements, (Jed York and Ellison excluded), that we have winners, and they are the Good Guys. This area has created Apple, Google, Facebook, GoPro, etc, etc, and it is in this same spirit of creativity, excellence, democracy, toleration and general live and let live ideals that I feel are very real factors in the extraordinary successes of our sports teams, who are not burdened with medieval political representatives or beliefs, allowing an atmosphere of the highest attributes of society and sport to thrive.
The Golden State Warriors players demonstrate truly what a 'team' means. We value how absolutely magical, artistic and sensational this season has been so far, and are so lucky we live here.
Many thanks from all of us to the teams that have enriched our lives with real drama in the form of sports to not just the Bay Area, but to all the other fans who cheer our teams when visiting their venues. They either have been lucky enough to live here, or appreciate what we have.
New, open, creative thinking has contributed to the phenomenal successes of the Warriors. I feel the SF Bay Area area offers the possibility of new ideas, whether in sports or concepts, or both combined. There is nowhere else in this country where that can be said. Or the world. Or the universe.
Today, the San Francisco Bay Area is the pinnacle of US sports.
