Here's what's been going on in the wide world of sports while we've been fighting off the flu......

Week Around The -Ists...

We don't know about you, but it's friggin cold out there. Well, not for some of you. It seems as though places that are supposed to be cold are warm and places that are supposed to be warm are cold. Or maybe that's just us. Either way, we're freezing. Austinist said goodbye to their co-editor (sell-out) and played rumor monger ">on the SXSW lineup. And when dozens of dead birds littered downtown Austin, it's......

Okay, let's discuss the other team that's leaving, the A's. Matier & Ross has a story in yesterday's paper that despite all the wishes of most A's fans and fans of good taste, Fremont does want in on the name. The idea being banded about is the-- and we think you should be sitting for this-- "East Bay A's of Fremont." We repeat, "the East Bay A's of Fremont." We think awful is too soft of a term to describe that. We think, actually, the word, redonkulus is even too soft of a term to describe the awfulness. In fact, a whole new word should be made to describe how crappy it is. Like, how's about "horriful?" Or "superawfulcraptacular." Or, hell, how's about just plain old "Federline" as in that name is beyond awful, it's Federline. ...

Torontoist visits the site of a new Frank Gehry structure, stalks "the elusive Bahamas streetcar", and watches Tom Green get surgery. Phillyist rejoices in the Phillies' wild card chances, mourns the injuries sustained by Eagles defensive end Jevon Kearse, and goes pirate on our asses. SFist notes that Guns and Roses were in town, that San Franciscans are taking over reality TV, and that the San Francisco Chronicle's skills of original nomenclature could use some......

It makes us sad to think of all the dogs unwalked, unwashed and untrained in San Francisco. We guess this lack of walking, washing and training is because dog guardians just don’t know how to find such a service provider. Lucky for us urbanhound.com, a website that started in New York, has come to the rescue with a San Francisco version. It is a central source of all the same ads that already appear in......

-Developers planning to build new housing in the SOMA area encountered a new concern last week as drivers complained that a possible eight story building on Harrison between third and fourth might obstruct views of the city. From the freeway. Turns out it's city policy not to build something along the freeways that would create a "canyon" effect and not allow drivers to see where they are in the city. To which members of the Planning Department banged their heads against their tables and threw their hands up in surrender. ...

We'll never forget where we were during the early evening hours of October 17th, 1989. It was one of those warm, Indian Summer days, and the air was completely still. To the superstitious, that's known as "earthquake weather." We had just gotten to Candlestick Park for the third game of the World Series. Giants versus A's--an event we'd hoped to see at least once in our lifetimes. We were ensconced in our seats in......

In May, when the A's were busy losing twenty of twenty-four games, and trotting out starting pitchers that even A's bloggers didn't know were affiliated with the organization, we here at A's Brand Baseball were considering a change in strategery. Not "giving up on the season," exactly--more like emphasizing reasons to care about the A's that didn't involve hoping they would actually win baseball games. We'd have instituted a Rickey Watch (.302/.494/.397, 1 HR,......

San Francisco's favorite but least read Q&A columnist, the Essefficist, answers a question about long-term parking for travelers....