Photo credit: George Nikitin/AP Photo, San Francisco Zoo, 3/15/08 Cute, yes? The San Francisco Zoo just released images of the newborn Sumatran tiger cub triplets born this past week to Leanne and George. Here are a few shots of the new kittens waiting for their first health exam. For a few more photos of small cat preciousness, follow the jump.......

The San Francisco Zoo announced today that Leanne, the 230-pound Sumatran tiger, is now caring for three newborn cubs. The SF Zoo, which came under scrutiny after last year's tiger-related mauling death of 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr., says that this is the first birth of Sumatran tiger for the zoo since 1956. It turns out Leanne had three of the cubs over a week ago, but kept them accidentally hidden from view of zoo......

This week, Phillyist saw the waters of a landmark fountain run red for a Showtime marketing stunt, the Phils pull ahead, and some serious nostalgia. They also got a chance to review an awesome tribute album, reminded folks to see the King and appreciated their beautiful skyline. Chicagoist knows what it's like to like the Cubs. But naming your kid Wrigley Fields? At least they can breathe a little easier now that Grossman's out......

-- Paranoia, feeding faux stories, and NYT's Laura Albert (AKA Miss Leroy) article. Depressing is right, Rita. [CultureBlog] -- Newsom defends Halloween shutdown. [BAR] -- San Francisco's other (but not nearly as stellar!) Matty. [BeyondChron] -- Pssst. We heard a rumor that the Bay Bridge will close during Labor Day Weekend. Pass it around. [511] -- Mandy Moore at the Fillmore. Eeeeeeeeee! [SF Weekly] -- SFBG's political art of the week. (Yay, Kool-Aid guy!)......

Here's todays sports news...

Here's todays sports news...

-- Thousands -- thousands!! -- without power because of small rainfall. Sheesh. [KPIX] -- The Giants are best for bear bottoms: Cubs wipe up with us, 12-1. [the Chron] -- Bay Guardian dislikes big, corporate-chain retail stores? You don't say. [SFBG] -- Matt Stroud's final, fatal post at SF Weekly. [SFist] -- Transbay tube retrofit delayed. [the Chron, KGO] -- Alameda County woman loses her shit over garbage lockout; Darya Folsom excitedly watches on.......

Here's todays sports news...

Here's todays sports news...

-Glenn Dickey says Stanford coach Walt Harris will be fired after the Big Game. We said that months ago. Jake Curtis sums up the pros and cons of firing him and Ray Ratto says the obvious-- that Harris is under a lot of pressure. ...

Yesterday it was announced that this year's big free agent catch, Alfonso Soriano, signed a whopping long deal with the Chicago Cubs, for eight years. It was also announced that Nomah is staying with the Dodgers where he'll be joined by the highly sought after Juan Pierre. Which begs the question what the hell are the Giants going to do? ...

Training camp. Whether you're fans of the Chicago Cubs, the Arizona Cardinals, the Boston Bruins, or even the Golden State Warriors, it is a time of hope. A time to believe. A time to go all in with the Karma chips and think the unthinkable. A time to take a flyer on 125-1 odds that the hometown squad can rise up and revel in the glory of a championship.

Somehow, the world of -ists managed to make it through the week despite news that Jen & Vince broke up. -Chicagoist had fall on their mind as they made squash and fudge, read "House of Leaves" and ">tried to figure out what's next for the Cubs. Not fall related, but still of utmost concern, the whole skinny black pants thing. -Torontoist fought off an evil scourge of raccoons and went to go see who......

The weeks starts out right when a sucker punch on the field lands Chicagoist in the middle of a Sox/Cubs throwdown and the fists continue to fly in the comments. Despite suburban resident Ms. Pinney's best little try no books will be banned anytime soon and the El is really really gross. Houstonist is there to start compiling the punditry when when the guilty, guilty Enron verdict comes down. This guy seems to be able......

Tonight, the Great Home Run Chase of '06 continues, as Barry will start against the Chicago Cubs, one home run behind the Babe. Oh, and the Giants try and climb out of the last-place hole they've dug themselves into, but nevermind that. Barry put himself one away with a monstorous, humongous, epic shot last Sunday night in Philly that still has people buzzing. In typical Barry fashion, after launching the home run and actually talking to the press, he blew all of that good press by refusing to sign the home run ball a fan caught. He did, however, make the fan sign a release form so he could appear on Barry's reality show. ...

There's good news and there's bad news in Giants-land today. Let's start with the bad news: so far the only Hot Stove action the Giants have pulled off is trading one relieving re-tread for another relieving re-tread for yesterday they traded LaTroy Hawkins for Steve Kline. Kline, who gained a measure of infamy for giving his then-manager Tony LaRussa (ha!) the finger, is considered a get for the Giants because he’s left handed and they lost their only left-handed setup man when Scott Eyre left for the Cubs. Or maybe not. ...

While we can think of about fifty places in the Mish to practice your Downward Dog without even trying, it's nice to find places where we can practice our favorite set of postitions without looking like we were stranded by our dates in the Cow Palace parking lot after Exotic Erotic. Since none of those Yoga Tree joints will let us practice our California Roll and the Metereon threw us out after our last......

The Giants, who just love their history, are getting ready to sign manager Felipe Alou's son Moises to a two year deal worth something like thirteen or fourteen million bucks, making him their right fielder. He's thirty-nine. Hmm. Felipe and his brothers Matty and Jesus played for the Giants in the sixties, so, from that perspective, this is a warm and fuzzy sort of thing, and Moises hit the crap out of the ball for......

roundup of the Bay Area weeklies. ...

The Cubs and Dodgers both lost last night, but, in one of the most painful games of the year, so did the Giants. To make matters worse, the Astros won, thereby giving themselves the lead in the NL Wild Card race. For those of you who don't pull your own teeth, or at least submit yourself to the torture of watching the end of crucial late-season baseball games, we'll give you a rundown of how......

Five games left, three back of the Dodgers, tied with the Cubs, a half game up on the Astros, and Milton Bradley losing his mind in LA. Does that say it all? Not if you're an A's fan. Then it's five games left, tied with the Angels, three distant games ahead of the Rangers, and Ichiro getting ready set a major record on the home turf. The Giants edged the Padres 7-5 in a nail......

It was a big weekend for Bay Area baseball but things didn't go as well as the local teams had hoped against their division rivals from the Southland. (Nor for SFist in the ongoing bet it has with LAist about the Giants, the Dodgers, and the playoffs.) The Giants and A's both lost lost two of three to their counterparts in Los Angeles, the Dodgers and Angels, leaving the Giants two-and-a-half games back of the......

SFist had high hopes for a series sweep for the Giants throughout last night's game against the Astros, but the bullpen had different ideas. Taking a three-to-two lead into the ninth inning, the San Francisco relievers did their best early-August impression by allowing five ugly runs, costing Jason Schmidt a well-deserved victory and chipping away at his fading Cy Young chances. You have to wonder if the Giants let their emotions (or their testosterone) get......

We here at the Essefficist, SFist's weekly question-and-answer/advice column, have been striving to bring you honest answers to life's nagging questions for the past couple of weeks now. However, we're a little concerned that our efforts have been unsatisfying to you, the reading public. Why? Because we haven't been asked a single question. Not one. (At least not since we sent an email to our friends asking for some before we wrote the first column.)......

Having successfully leaned on ace Jason Schmidt in the face of utter despair once again, this time turning to him to save them from from the ignominy of a season sweep by the lowly Pirates, the Giants are staying on in the Keystone State for their next series, heading east to face the Team of Brotherly Love in their cosy new ballpark for the first time tonight....

It makes you feel kind of dirty just to say it, but it's starting to look like this really isn't the Giants' year. The SFist went to all three of the Giants' games against the Reds this week and left today's blowout with the sinking feeling that the best thing the team has going for it right now is that it's going to have a lot of money to spend on free0 agents in the offseason. If you can't beat the Reds at home without four homeruns and a miracle performance from a minor leaguer, then you've got some real issues. Oh well....