Old Glory and false flags

Another Tuesday, another show … let’s get to it!

• Flag burning? Really, Donald? Let’s forget that it’s already been declared free speech under the First Amendment (and we’ve seen how familiar Trump is with the Constitution). And let’s also forget this was not an issue in the campaign.

Instead, let’s call it what it really is: A diversionary tactic from a) Monday’s ridiculous and unsubstantiated allegations about illegal voters costing Trump the popular vote, and b) another round of Cabinet appointments destined to generate controversy.

Trump already has a chief of staff in Republican party chairman Reince Priebus. I’m starting to think he needs a nanny on staff as well, that one person who won’t let him tweet until he finishes all his vegetables, cleans his room, takes out the trash, walks the dog AND cleans the cat’s litter box.

Otherwise, it’s another play to his base that may still be pissed that charges won’t be filed against Hillary Clinton, Obamacare may survive in some form or same-sex marriages will remain legal. Or, if you’ll pardon the expression, a false flag.

• The tweetstorms may play to the base, create a few laughs and provide something new for the cable gabfests, but consider this: In seven or so weeks, he’s going to be president.
• Coaching vacancies make strange bedfellows, so it’s not surprising to hear former Fresno State football coach Pat Hill may have thrown his hat into the ring for the vacancy at San Jose State.

Some Bulldog supporters seem aghast that Hill would consider taking the gig with the school’s rival, but are these not the same supporters that ran Hill out of town a few years ago, only to wish he’d return before favorite son Jeff Tedford emerged as a candidate and eventually got the job.

Perhaps Hill just wants to get back on the sidelines after a few years in the broadcast booth. Or maybe it really is all about the Benjamins. But playing the loyalty card seems a bit far-fetched.

It’s happened before, perhaps never more famously than in baseball, when Leo Durocher moved across town from the Brooklyn Dodgers to New York Giants in mid season. Bo Schembechler was an assistant coach at Ohio State for several years before becoming head coach at Michigan. And Rick Pitino coached both Kentucky and Louisville sandwiched around a four-year stint with the Boston Celtics.

• Hill would add a little star power to San Jose not seen since Dick Tomey took the helm. Otherwise, this seems like most other openings in the Mountain West, one for an assistant coach looking to have his own team with an eye on a Power 5 job, ala Mike MacIntyre, who left the Spartans for Colorado, which has a berth in Friday’s Pac-12 championship game.
• Rumors the Red Sox and Giants were discussing a deal that would return Pablo Sandoval to San Francisco were shot down quickly last week. Not only did it not make baseball sense, but there wasn’t enough time to prepare Bay area restaurants for the return of the Panda, who, apparently, will have to be satisfied by joining Cliff and Norm for the Feeding Frenzy special at the Hungry Heifer.

Pigskin prospects, and a fight to remember

If you’re a sports fan, it’s been a weekend. Let’s take a look back:

• Let’s start with the state of college football in the Bay Area. What a study of contrasts,

Was about to write Stanford salvaged some pride in a disappointing season with its seventh straight Big Game win over Cal last Saturday, but a peek at the stat sheet shows the Cardinal to be 8-3, with the losses coming to this year’s Pac-12 heavyweights, Washington, Washington State and Colorado. Yes, Colorado!

A trip to Pasadena seems unlikely, but bowls will definitely be calling.

Then there’s California. Has there been a bigger mess in Strawberry Canyon since Memorial Stadium’s rebuild?

The fine folks in Berkeley knew they were hiring an offensive coach when Sonny Dykes was hired four years ago, but one lesson is being reinforced week after week: You can’t discount defense in the Pac-12 like you did in the WAC. At times you wonder if the Bears aren’t studying some of the finest matadors in Mexico when making their defensive recruiting lists.

• Then there’s this weekend’s anti-Big Game, when San Jose State heads over Pacheco Pass to meet Fresno State in a battle of rivals that have fallen upon hard times.

Both are coming off heartbreaking late losses, the Bulldogs losing when a field goal was blocked on the last play of the game, seconds after Hawaii scored the go-ahead touchdown, while San Jose State yielded a late touchdown to Air Force.

We’ve also got a battle between a lame-duck interim coach at Fresno vs. one who may be on shaky ground at SJSU.

Still, it’s a rivalry game, and I’m sure both schools have thrown the records in the recycling bin getting ready for this one. And who knows, we may get another finish like this one (alas, I don’t have a recording of the call by Ken Korach and Dave Ellis on KCBS of this one, but would love a copy if anyone’s in a giving mood!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xu3rSTjLSQY

• Then there’s the 49ers. Or to misquote Henny Youngman, take them, please.

Change seems inevitable, but in the GM’s office, or the coach’s office?

Trent Baalke seems the most likely candidate after the disassembly of a team that was in the Super Bowl a few years ago and just seconds away from it the next.

Hard to blame Chip Kelly for not turning this sow’s ear into a silk purse in one season, but ya have to wonder, despite words to the contrary, how much longer he can re$i$t offers from places to stay with a team that tried to put the fun in dysfunction, but even fumbled that opportunity.

• Meanwhile, another tale in the story of the Bay area’s least appreciated champion, Oakland boxer Andre Ward, was written in Las Vegas Saturday night with his 12-round decision over Sergey Kovalev for the WBA, WBC and IBF light heavyweight belts.

Ward was knocked down for the first time in his pro career in the second round and appeared to be on the verge of his first loss since he was 12 at the midpoint of this 12-rounder.

But remember, Ward is not a boxer who goes for the big KO punch, but is a student of the art of boxing, who did what it takes to earn the one-point win on all three scorecards.

Was the fix in? Very, very unlikely. Even in his dispute with the late promoter Dan Goossen, Ward has always conducted himself with class. It’s unfortunate this suit and being stripped of his Super Six title by the politics of boxing has marred this legacy.

A bad decision? Who knows, considering some of the beauts we’ve seen in boxing of late.

But, because it is boxing, there will be a rematch. And who knows what that might bring?

Bulldog bandwagon misses local bus

After nearly 30 years of observing Fresno State football up close, two things are clear.

One, Bulldog fans love a winning team. Two, more than that, they love supporting a local product.

Those are a couple of things that have gotten away from the Bulldogs in the past few years as they spiraled down the Mountain West totem pole.

Grand were the days when San Joaquin Valley products like Kevin Sweeney, Derek Carr and David Carr helped build the Bulldog brand, the little team from farm country that shocked the world by beating USC in the 1992 Freedom Bowl.

Such moments have been few and far between for the Bulldogs of late, however. Pat Hill did quite a bit in righting the ship academically and helping with stadium and schedule upgrades that led to more bowl appearances and a promotion to the Mountain West.

Somewhere along the line, though, Fresno State lost its way, not only losing games, but losing Valley recruits to fellow Mountain West members.

Before continuing, let’s make two points clear: First, athletes who can play at the Power 5 (Pac 12, SEC, Big Ten, Big XII and ACC) level rise to that level. Second, athletes, no matter how much fans and boosters beg, have no obligation to attend Hometown U. For most of them, where to go to college may be the biggest decision they’ve made in their life.

But, when one hears from recruiting experts that Fresno State only got in touch with several Valley products late in the game, or when they had already made their decisions, something’s amiss.

It ‘s going to take a year or two to right the Good Ship Bulldog, that’s for sure. And patience has never been a virtue for front-running Fresno fans, who dream Power 5 dreams on a shoestring budget.
Whoever the new coach is, though, needs to rebuild Valley ties. And quickly. Shopping locally for talent won’t be a cure-all, but it may ease the pain.

Taking mean streets to the White House

Thoughts heading into a weekend …

• If you needed further evidence on how strange this Presidential election cycle has turned, we present the Al Smith dinner held Thursday night in New York City.

Normally a lighthearted affair, Republican Party nominee Donald Trump turned it into yet-another bully pulpit – emphasis on bully – with jabs at Democrat Hillary Clinton that, under the guise of humor, came across as mean, even drawing a few boos from the audience.

It captured what Trump’s campaign has become: An AM radio right-wing talkfest on steroids, heavy on accusations and innuendo, but lacking in evidence or even concrete positions.

I doubt Trump’s speech would have made the cut at a Dean Martin roast (OK, a Comedy Central roast, for you youngsters).

Maybe that’s all Trump has left, a Howard Beale screaming nonsensical statements and finding conspiracy theories around every corner in a world that seeks solutions. At least solutions beyond “we’re going to fix this” or “we’re going to build a wall.”

Say what you want about Hillary Clinton, as she has her sins, too, but with her, we can at least grasp a sense of a better future. And that’s all everyone wants, right?

• NFL ratings are down for the early part of the season, including record lows for the showcase games on Sunday and Monday nights.

What’s the problem? Some point to the never-ending election cycle (two of the three presidential debates went against the NFL, with record ratings across all networks), others point to recent studies linking increased concussions to football, and others see this as fallout from Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand for the national anthem.

But the biggest problem, at least in this corner of cyberspace? Too much of a good thing, to the point where the fatted calf may end up at the pet food plant.

Used to be you could confine your televised football fix to the weekends, with the college games on Saturday and NFL on Sunday and Monday.

Sunday night pro games were a nice addition, but then they had to add Thursday games, with a huge drop-off in quality as a result of less recuperation and preparation time for players and coaches alike.

Add the mid-major and low-major college programs that have adopted the mantra of former Fresno State coach Pat Hill when it comes to scheduling: Anyone, anywhere, anytime, as long as the TV light is on. So now we have games on Tuesday, Wednesday and even violating what should be sacred territory for high schools, Friday nights.

We’ll give our friends in the Great White North a break here, since the CFL has always scheduled on non-traditional days, plus we like their game.

Will the drop-off in quality mean a cutback to saner scheduling? Not likely, both the pros and collegians are too addicted to the revenue. About all a beleaguered fan can do is keep voting with his clicker.