So after all that, the Niners hired Mike Martz as offensive coordinator anyways. After just one interview and after not really talking to anybody else. ...

Here's a roundup of today's sporting news...

Here's todays sports news...

" it comes as no surprise / we're destabilized " * Seattle vs. San Francisco Sunday, September 30, 2007. 1:00 PM, PST. Week 04 The Surpriseless Battle This is it, the game that will tell whether the 49ers can seize the lead in the NFC West by taking down the Seahawks. * Photo of Frank Gore breaking away via the Chron. SF swept the series last year, even as SEA won the division, so you......

Here's today's sports news...

After staunching out the Arizona Cardinals last week, the Niners head to St. Louis to try to get ahead at the expense of the reeling Rams and claw ahead in the NFC West race....

The glaring problem with the 2007 San Francisco 49ers is that there are two 49er teams: the American football team that Head Coach Nolan II will put on the field of play this year, and the ownership team led by the hapless Dr. York. While Nolan's West Coast Ravens are being hyped as having come to fruition out from the dark days post-Mooch, Dr. York's ineptitude is threatening the sustainability of the Niners franchise to......

Today the National Football League's 2007 schedule was let out to the general public. After last year's marked strides on the field, what does the oncoming season hold for the San Francisco 49ers?...

-The Sharks clinched a playoff spot with a win over the LA Kings, 3-1. Sure, it was pretty much a given but it's still nice to say. Patrick Marleau had two goals and one assist to lead the way. -Frank Gore is now making bank. -Athletics Nation tries to make sense of the A's spring stats. -Tim Kawakami gives us today's "what will the Raiders do with their draft pick" post. -Ray Ratto takes up......

-Cal took down #4 ranked UCLA in their quarterfinal match of the Pac 10 tournament. They had a big lead at halftime and blew the big lead but managed to hold on to force overtime. It sounds like a great game, actually, as UCLA fought their way back and then the teams traded leads up until the end. They now go to the quarterfinals and play #16 ranked Oregon. At 16-16, Cal has no way......

-The Warriors get blown out by the pathetic Atlanta Hawks. Hello lottery pick? -Guess who's contract hasn't been signed yet? -Fred Biletnikoff retires from the Raiders organization. -Stanford lose to Gonzanga in double OT. -Frank Gore wants Norv Turner to stay just a little bit longer. -San Diego linebackers coach Greg Manusky is your new Niners Defensive Coordinator.......

-Sharks beat the Avalanche 3-1 after a stellar first period in which they scored two goals and had 21 shots on goal. ...

You know, we're having trouble rooting for the Saints mainly because it gives an excuse for too many sportswriters and broadcasters to make lazy comparisons between the football team and the city. So everybody feels happy that New Orleans is doing so well and coming back when the reality is far different. -Sharks beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-1. -Stanford gets by Number 22 ranked Washington State in overtime. Ray Ratto thinks it's a big win.......

Okay, here's something that we've always wondered about in football-- why don’t coaches in the final minutes of a football let the other team score to get the ball back instead of letting the other team run down the clock and kick the game-winning field goal? Just look at the Eagles/Giants game. The Eagles were in easy field goal range with about two minutes to go and the Giants out of time outs. So the Eagles just ran the clock out and won the game with a last second field goal, something that was pretty much inevitable. So what if instead of doing what they did, the Giants let Westbrook run it in for a TD with a minute or so left so they could get the ball back? Wouldn’t that make more sense than hoping that some sort of fluke play occurs? If you were a coach, would you rather take your chances hoping that the team that's driving either screws up the field goal, fumbles, or gets backed up due to penalties or would you rather take a chance with your offense scoring again? ...

-In light of the end of the NFL season, the 49ers look forward to next year while the Raiders look inward. Shell thinks he's coming back but Warren Sapp isn't. ...

It's January 1, and here are the best things from the last 365 days....

Well, the Powers that Be decided to actually give us two NFL games on TV this morning at once. That's the good news. The bad news is one features the Raiders and the other the Detroit Lions. Which means that someone, somewhere, thinks everyone here is so tied into who gets the #1 pick next year that everyone in the Bay Area wants to watch both teams at the same time. ...

-Frank Gore and Larry Allen from the 49ers and Raiders DE Derrick Burgess get an all expenses paid trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. The Raiders are stunned only Burgess is going. Hmmm....maybe not being one of the worst teams in NFL history would have helped. ...

Sharks beat high-scoring Ducks, 4-3, with a tipped pass by Joe Thorton in the late, late third period. The victory snapped the Ducks five game winning streak and was only their fourth regulation loss of the season. Is their still room on the Sharks bandwagon?...

49ers 20 Seahawks 14-- Clang, clang, clang goes the 49ers bandwagon as this is the biggest win in franchise history in God who knows how long. Probably back when Mariucci was the coach and the playoffs were a semi-regular thing. They beat, we mean beat, not only the top team in the division but also last year's Superbowl losers. The Niners raced to a twenty point lead in the first half then basically held onto......

We're starting to see a pattern emerge with both teams. The Raiders start well but can't finish and the Niners start slowly but finish strong. Which is what happened yesterday as the Raiders were actually up 13-7 at halftime, only to give up 27 straight points to their Bay Area counterparts. The key was a Niners D that grabbed four interceptions and returned a fumble for a TD. They did such a good job that Raiders QB Andrew Walter was replaced by Marques Tuiasosopo in the fourth quarter. The other hero for the Niners day was Frank Gore who rushed for 134 yards and Marvelous Norv Turner who was given the game ball for beating up on his old team. ...

It's Week Four of the National Football League's 2006 regular season. Things have been tough. How’ve you been? Here's what happening with your Niners and Raiders for this October 1st...

Eagles 38, 49ers 24- You can look at this game several ways. Some people will spin it and say the 49ers showed some gumption and were several mistakes away from being in this game. Other people can look at the game and see that the Iggles were basically toying with the 49ers. Whenever they needed a big play on offense, they did it. Whenever they needed a big play on D, they got it. Case in point, in the third quarter when the 49ers were on the one and unable to get in and only . On the third down play, Frank Gore fumbled and 292 pound Mike Patterson returned it for a 98 yard touchdown. The Eagles scored on their first two possessions and looked like a pretty smooth running machine for the rest of the game, or at least they did when it appeared they weren't cat napping. ...

Sometimes a loss can be a victory and this is one of those losses that looks like a victory. Except in the win column where it really counts. The Niners came out right from the start loaded for bear and scored a TD with Alex Smith hooking up with Vernon Davis on their very first drive. The Cards then went on to take a 21-7 lead but the Niners kept coming and coming and coming, only to finally go down in defeat when Smith's Hail Mary pass fell incomplete. In fact, the Niners could claim they won all the big things but lost due to the small things, like penalties and missed passes and one missed field goal. Which sounds pretty bad if you're a contending team but really good if you're pretty much not. Oh, and Frank Gore is the man. His two-yard TD run where he basically just pushed himself into the end zone was the kind of football that would have made Vince Lombardi smile. ...

Welcome back, or welcome to your holiday American Football Spectacular, depending on whichever sets of traditions you choose to salute. Everyday is a holiday if you feel like it. This is the bear time of American Football, where the NFL's regular season gasps its last, college teams compete through the institutional irregularities of the bowl games, and high schoolers are home for the holidays. Mmmm... home cookin'. Here's the problem: your San Francisco 49ers won! Really! 24 - 20, sweeping those dastardly St. Louis Rams for 2005. Sure, they were somewhat depleted in Saturday's Christmas Eve matchup, but so what. We win. Hah! ...